Faramalala Ravaoarimanga’s beloved home country of Madagascar was suffering a severe shortage of mental health professionals, so eight years ago she sold her house in the East African nation and moved to the United States to pursue an education in psychology.
“The Malagasy culture is male-dominated due to the influence of the patriarchy,” says Ravaoarimanga. “Thus, sexism is the norm, and most of the women and children are still seen as inferior, and are voiceless.”
Ravaoarimanga has her bachelor’s degree from University of Mount Olive in North Carolina and a master’s degree in foreign languages from the Sorbonne University in Paris.
Now in her second and final year in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program at North Park, Ravaoarimanga has received a grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which she will use to expose and eradicate domestic and gender-based violence and child marriage in Madagascar. She will also help the offenders of those violent acts change their attitudes and values to develop skills that promote healthy behaviors and gender equality.
After graduation and a one-year work experience, Ravaoarimanga will return to her home country with the goal of starting a counseling center and a shelter and launch a public awareness campaign about domestic violence.
Ravaoarimanga believes she is just the person to do this.
“All these goals can only be met with the help of faithful sponsors who have a burden for the people of Madagascar,” she says.