Nearly 1,600 women and young women gathered at Boriziny-Port-Bergé from 9 to 16 August 2026 for the North-West Madagascar Conference (NWMC) Women's Ministries Congress, a week that combined training and fellowship with prison outreach and an evangelistic campaign that ended in 47 baptisms.

The congress was held under the theme "Courageous Women, Serving for the Salvation of Souls", in Malagasy, "Vehivavy Mahery Fo, hamonjy fanahy." The theme drew on the account of Queen Esther, who risked her life to intercede for her people, declaring: "if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16).

Before the official opening, participants made their presence felt in the town through a large carnival that moved through the streets of Boriziny-Port-Bergé, a festive procession that also served to introduce the local population to the work of Seventh-day Adventist women in the region.

The opening ceremony took place on 13 August 2026 at the Boriziny-Port-Bergé stadium, attended by the Deputy Mayor and the District Chief of Boriziny-Port-Bergé, who formally declared the congress open. Also present was Sister Margery Herinirina, Women's Ministries Director of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID), alongside an Indian Ocean Union Conference (IOUC) delegation including Union Women's Ministries Director Sister Rasolonirina Tsararindra and Family Ministries Director Sister Amida Fayole.

One of the most significant moments of the week came when participants visited women held at the Boriziny-Port-Bergé prison, providing material and spiritual support to those in detention. The visit took the congress beyond the venue and into the community it sits within.

A Communion service held under the theme "Christ, Our Passover" was officiated by NWMC President Pastor Rabenarivo Jim Hervé, giving participants an opportunity to reflect on Christ's sacrifice and renew their commitment.

Evangelism ran throughout the week, with several missionary initiatives organised alongside the training sessions. The campaign resulted in 47 baptisms on Sabbath, 15 August, during the closing phase of the congress.

The closing sermon was delivered by Sister Herinirina under the title "Jesus Is Not Finished with You," drawing on John 21 and the conversation between Jesus and Peter after the resurrection. Three times Jesus asked Peter whether he loved Him, and three times entrusted him with the care of His flock.

Failure does not mean the end of a person's story with God, Sister Herinirina told the congress. Peter had denied Jesus three times, yet Christ gave him another opportunity to serve. She applied the point directly to the women present: some who have left the Church have not stopped loving Jesus, but have carried hurt, disappointment, or difficulty that led them away. The Church's role, she said, is not simply to wait for them but to go out, listen, and reopen the door, moved, in the words of 2 Corinthians 5:14, by the love of Christ.

The Boriziny-Port-Bergé gathering is the third in a series of IOUC Women's Ministries congresses this year, following those hosted by the East Madagascar Conference and the Madagascar Central Conference.