Onja Madagascar

Onja Madagascar We train talented, underprivileged youth into world-class software developers. They’ll earn 25 times the salary they otherwise would have earned.

Onja’s mission is to propel brilliant young minds in the world’s poorest countries to access equal education and real career opportunities. It is targeting disadvantaged youth with the most potential, and the really unique part is that these very people will sustain the whole organisation in the future. HOW ONJA WORKS

Recruit: Onja identifies motivated young people who are extraordinarily intelli

gent but who don't have the chance to realise their potential, and in many cases don't have the means to finish high school. Staff meet with their families, explain the details of the education and employment social enterprise, and offer them a place in the program. Educate: Once identified and accepted, students will move to Onja's boarding school and complete a two-year education program of English and computer programming. While at Onja's school, students will be receive free room and board, education and life-changing experiences. Outsource: Upon completion of Onja's education program, graduates will be strong English speaking coders, and will begin working for Onja’s outsourcing enterprise, developing software for international clients. From the outsourcing enterprise Onja itself generates an income, which will be used to cover all of its costs and educate additional students. The outsourcing work completed by a single Onja graduate will generate enough income for Onja to educate a further 7 students. IN NUMBERS


$1.90 Onja is targeting young people from the 80% of Malagasy people below the international poverty line, living on less than $1.90 per day.


1% They may not have money, but they have intelligence. Onja’s students will represent the brightest 1% of young minds.


25 Once working, Onja graduates will earn 25 times the salary they otherwise would have earned.


100% 100% of Onja’s income will be used to cover its costs and educate additional students.


7:1 The outsourcing work completed by a single Onja graduate will generate enough income for Onja to educate a further 7 students. WHY CODING
Coding, or computer programming may seem like an odd career path for some of the world's poorest people, but when one considers the rise of globalization and improvements in technology, it starts to make sense. The reality is there are not enough computer programmers in the world, and global demand means that large companies are turning to outsourcing to meet the demand. Coding is a career that, due to its nature, can be done from anywhere in the world. Onja will be a self-sustaining outsourcing enterprise and because the education program will be very low cost compared to the earnings of the outsourcing enterprise, it can grow rapidly and quickly reach thousands of young people in future without relying on future donations. IMPACT
Doing justice to their brilliant minds, Onja will unlock education and secure employment for its students. Suddenly things like warm blankets, menstrual hygiene, education, nutrition, healthcare, financial services, quality housing, sanitation, security, and access to the legal system, (to name just a few) will become affordable for them and their families.

We’re hiring a field officer to support the delivery of a carbon offset initiative, a special project we’re currently de...
26/08/2026

We’re hiring a field officer to support the delivery of a carbon offset initiative, a special project we’re currently developing to help bring cleaner cooker solutions to households across eastern Madagascar.

Learn more about the role and how to apply here: https://onja.org/careers/field-officer

We have two exciting opportunities for internationals to join our Enterprise team!Onja is recruiting a Special Projects ...
24/08/2026

We have two exciting opportunities for internationals to join our Enterprise team!
Onja is recruiting a Special Projects Manager and a Growth Manager to support the growth of our social enterprise and strengthen our commercial positioning in key markets.

As Special Projects Manager, you’ll lay the operational, business and legal foundations needed to launch up to three new ventures from the ground up. Each venture will contribute to our social enterprise’s growth and help us train more underprivileged young people into world-class developers.

As Growth Manager, you’ll build outbound client acquisition for Onja’s software development enterprise across LinkedIn, email and cold calling. You’ll also manage client relationships and work closely with our Enterprise Manager Ahmed Syed, combining hands-on selling with team leadership.

These roles are open to international candidates only. Learn more about the roles and how to apply on our Careers page.

https://onja.org/careers/special-projects-manager
https://onja.org/careers/growth-manager

21/08/2026

“Like the students before them, The Adventurers have paved the way for other young Malagasy people.”

Ronaldo, an Onja English Tutor, has been there every step of the way for the latest group of students to complete our English course. As students followed this digital course, he provided guidance and support to help them reach the C1 level in just one year.

A heartfelt thank you to Ronaldo and the entire English Course Design team for their contributions to digitising our English curriculum. Onja students can now learn at their own pace while benefiting from on-site guidance and an immersive learning environment.

20/08/2026

What does a Speech Specialist do? Ask Tsirofo, one of our fantastic Speech Specialists at Onja!

In this video, Tsirofo shares an update on how our new students are progressing in English since arriving in June. Over the past two months, they’ve learned how to introduce themselves and use and understand common, everyday expressions.

19/08/2026

We are so proud of the incredible work our English Course Design team has done to expand access to quality education. This is key to our mission to train underprivileged youth into world-class software developers, and we can’t wait onboard more students as we continue to grow!

I pledge to speak English all the time!Last week, our newest students and a few Onja staff members took in the language ...
18/08/2026

I pledge to speak English all the time!

Last week, our newest students and a few Onja staff members took in the language pledge, an important Onja tradition. The pledge helps create an immersive environment where everyone can learn together!

Congratulations to all our new pledgers–we can’t wait to practice with you!

17/08/2026

Shifting left helps developers build better code while also allowing them to shape how great software gets built.

Tantely, who recently marked four years as a frontend developer at 90POE, shared his insights on the importance of ownership in the age of AI.

As AI changes how software is built, ownership and product thinking are becoming even more valuable. In our latest Onja Tech Talk, Tantely explored the idea of shifting left, taking ownership of quality early in the development process, instead of leaving issues for QA or end-users to catch.

"The strongest developers think beyond their own code and take responsibility for the quality of the product from the very beginning," said Tantely, who shared a practical checklist that any development team can adapt to strengthen their own engineering practices.

Over the past four years at 90POE, a leader in maritime technology, Tantely’s commitment to understanding business objectives has helped improve product quality by implementing end-to-end testing that reduced bugs reaching production.

Congratulations to Tantely on four years with 90POE, and thank you for continuing to share your expertise with our tech community!

“Because we are tomorrow's leaders, we should be part of today's decisions.“Marina, Rinon and Sandy are just three of th...
12/08/2026

“Because we are tomorrow's leaders, we should be part of today's decisions.“

Marina, Rinon and Sandy are just three of the brilliant young people who power Onja’s innovative social model. This , we’re celebrating all the incredible young people who are paving the way for future generations to unlock their potential!

We believe in the brilliance of Malagasy youth and are committed to opening up more opportunities for underprivileged young people so where you’re from doesn’t determine what you can achieve.

11/08/2026

We want to see as many underprivileged young people as possible unlock their potential, which is why last year we embarked on a project to digitise our English programme.

In this video, Mitantsoa, Onja’s English Course Design Manager, shares how the programme has evolved since our inaugural student cohort and how this will help us train more underprivileged youth into world-class software developers.

Learn more about how we teach English at Onja here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LIeO74nno8

What’s going on at Onja? Subscribe to our newsletter to find out! With a new wave of students on campus and more to join...
07/08/2026

What’s going on at Onja? Subscribe to our newsletter to find out! With a new wave of students on campus and more to join us very soon, there’s a lot to share and the best way to stay informed is through our newsletter.

Don’t miss out! Join our incredible community of Onja supporters today: www.onja.org/newsletter

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Toamasina

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