The South East Madagascar Conference (SEMC) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has held its first-ever Camporee at Sahambavy in the Lalangina District, Haute Matsiatra Region, drawing approximately 1,700 young people.

The Camporee ran from 2 to 9 August 2026 under the theme "Moving Forward with Confidence," inspired by the story of Moses. Programming centred on spiritual growth, outdoor living, learning, teamwork, and community building.

SEMC Youth Ministries Director Pastor Jean Francois Ramandimbiarison, known within Pathfinder circles by his club name Chief Babouin Inébranlable (Chief Unshakeable Baboon), said the young people were being challenged to move forward with confidence and fulfil the mission entrusted to them.

Indian Ocean Union Conference (IOUC) Youth Ministries Director Pastor Haja Raharijaona, known within Pathfinder circles as Chief Espadon Fulgurant (Chief Lightning Swordfish), addressed the camporee with a call to expand the reach of Pathfinder ministry beyond church walls and into the wider community.

Pathfinder clubs, he said, are increasingly reaching beyond the Adventist Church into the wider community, and young people are being called to continue the mission Jesus entrusted to His disciples by uniting their voices under the world Church's OneVoice27 initiative. The result, he said, should not be merely the voice of young people, but one voice, the Church's collective witness across the Indian Ocean region and beyond.

The SEMC is the newest of Madagascar's Adventist administrative territories, joining the Madagascar Central Conference, East Madagascar Conference, and Southwest Madagascar Conference in the country's Union structure. The inaugural Camporee marks a significant milestone in the Conference's growing engagement with its young members.