Ndao Hanavao
Training and innovation laboratory for social design
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Since 2018
Ndao Hanavao is an innovation and training laboratory for social design created by Rubis Mécénat in 2018. Its objective is to respond to local societal and environmental issues via innovative, viable and sustained design projects, developed in collaboration with guest designers. It also aims to sustainably contribute to the professional integration of Malagasy youth from underprivileged backgrounds, helping them build commercial and collaborative initiatives based on projects developed in the laboratory.
Three projects are currently being developed locally: plastic waste becoming utility objects with French designer Alexandre Echasseriau ; invasive algae becoming paper with French designer Samuel Tomatis and plastic waste becoming wool with the Franco-British designers behind The Polyfloss Factory. In 2026, designer Léa Dammann is invited to work with textile waste in order to transform it into recycled felt.
At the same time, Ndao Hanavao helps bring out new talents and spark vocations among the project’s beneficiaries, while raising awareness about recycling through workshops with partner associations. Finally, numerous artists and designers are invited to experiment with the processes and materials produced in the laboratory, such as Joël Andrianomearisoa, Richianny Ratovo, and Laureline Galliot.