Daniel is a dedicated child and youth care worker who focuses on poverty alleviation and community mobilization. Throughout his decade-long career in social care, Daniel has worked as a program and operations lead in child protection, education, public health, and social protection initiatives in grassroots non-profits and major international development agencies. He has also led major humanitarian and development initiatives, such as a nationwide inclusive COVID-19 emergency response, a hunger crisis response, polio and plague outbreak prevention campaigns, and a national reform of literacy education.
He is the founder and president of a grassroots non-profit, Hay Kanto, which seeks to support and develop resilience among children and youth from impoverished families. Through Hay Kanto, Daniel has worked with youth in conflict with the laws, children living in extreme poverty, and runaway youth.
Daniel has received several prestigious awards in recognition of his leadership work in social care, such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2021, the Mandela Washington Alumni Institute Enrichment in 2022, awarded by the US Department of State, and a Certificate of Recognition awarded by the Township of Rhinebeck in New York for his many contributions to the success of their international program “Madagascar Connect.”
Daniel has a master’s degree in Child and Youth Care Studies from the University of Strathclyde, UK, a master’s degree in Managerial Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts in General English from Madagascar.
Inspired by the resilience of marginalized communities, the courage of advocates, and the power of collective change, I believe that fighting for equity goes beyond deepening our understanding of systemic oppression. It requires a caring and empathetic heart and an ever-reflective mind. To me, true progress is only possible through the collective action of a devoted community—one that believes in a hopeful, fairer, and more inclusive future for all.Henintsoa Daniel Rakotoarison