A Life of Service, Love, and Lasting Impact in Madagascar
This tribute celebrates the life and legacy of Steven Mark Lellelid, whose faith, compassion, and practical service transformed communities across southern Madagascar. With support from the Adsum Foundation, his organisation Satraha continues to strengthen lives through literacy and learning, ensuring that his vision for community wellbeing lives on.
Early Life and Education
Steven Mark Lellelid was born in Paris in 1952, the second child of missionaries Leo and Arlene Lellelid. His parents, who were studying French on their way to becoming Lutheran Missionaries to southern Madagascar, guided his life from the very beginning, shaping it with faith, purpose, and a deep connection to Madagascar.
He spent much of his youth in Madagascar, attending a missionary boarding school in Fort Dauphin. Later, he earned a degree from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, MN, and went on to study civil engineering. But no matter where life took him, his heart remained with the Malagasy people.
Missionary Work and Community Development
In the 1980s, Steven returned to Madagascar as a missionary, called by the American Lutheran Church. He served with the Malagasy Lutheran Church’s development office, working primarily in the arid south to drill wells and improve access to clean water.
After returning to the U.S., Steven and his first wife eventually separated, but his commitment to Madagascar never faded.
Family and Continued Service
Steven later moved back to the Tsihombe district of southern Madagascar, settling in the home where his parents once lived. There, he met Tafisoa Caroline, a local Christian woman from the Tandroy tribe. They married and raised their son, Linofie, who received his early education in Tsihombe.
Steven continued his community and development work in the Tsihombe region, teaching the local people how to stabilise sand dunes using drought-resistant Australian pines. He was involved in water projects, introducing water harvesting techniques, teaching people to dig shallow wells, and collecting rainwater in concrete cisterns.
Steven and his wife Tafisoa helped distribute food in partnership with the UN’s Food for the World program.
Founding of Satraha
To expand his efforts, Steven started an organisation called Satraha. It became the foundation of his mission to support communities in Tsihombe and beyond. Satraha focused on three main areas:
Clean Water
In the dry southern region of Madagascar, Steven played a vital role in addressing regional water scarcity. Drawing on his background in civil engineering, he trained community members to drill wells, dig shallow water sources, and collect rainwater in concrete cisterns, laying the foundation for future community-led efforts. These water projects have brought clean, reliable water to families across drought-stricken areas, transforming daily life and offering hope where it was once scarce.
Literacy
Recognising the challenges of adult illiteracy in Tandroy communities, Steven launched village-based literacy classes often held under the shade of trees. These sessions empowered adults to read and write, opening new opportunities and strengthening the community. Learners who have completed the programme have gone on to bring their produce and crafts to market, take on leadership roles, and play an active part in their local communities. The Adsum Foundation continues to support this vital work.
Homeopathic Medicine
In remote villages with limited access to healthcare, Steven developed simple homoeopathic remedies for common illnesses. Travelling by fat bike with rawhide panniers, he hand-delivered these treatments to families across sand and rocky terrain.
Translation Work and Cultural Preservation
One of Steven’s most meaningful achievements was translating the Bible into the Tandroy dialect, a project that took six years to complete. With funding from a U.S. nonprofit organisation, he printed 20,000 copies and delivered them by fat bike to remote villages, often across sand and rugged terrain. He also developed a Tandroy hymnal, preserving melodies he recorded during his visits to various villages.
Final Years and Legacy
In late 2023, Steven began experiencing symptoms of muscle weakness and was later believed to be suffering from ALS, a terminal illness. Focused on securing his son’s future, Steven sent Linofie to the United States in early 2023 for further education. Linofie now lives with relatives and is currently studying at university.
Steven passed away in October 2024 at the age of 72. His funeral services in Tsihombe and Ambovombe drew thousands, a powerful tribute to the lives he had touched.
The Adsum Foundation, through its ongoing partnership with the Satraha organisation, will continue to support Steven’s wife, Tafisoa, under her leadership, in carrying forward the work of the Tandroy Literacy programme.
We remember Steven’s legacy not only for what he built but also for how he lived, a life of deep faith, purpose, compassion, and commitment to the people of Madagascar.
Special thanks to Dr John M. Toso, Steven’s brother-in-law, for the biographical details he generously provided, and to Steven Lellelid for his own words written before he passed away.
Family picture of Steven (left), his wife Tafisoa (Middle) and their son Linofie (right).
Linofie now lives in the US with his uncle’s family, and is attending University, while Tafisoa continues the work of Literacy in southern Madagascar.
Steven rode his fat bike to a remote village to help and provide a homoeopathic remedy for a shaman suffering from a sore and swollen hand.
If you would like to donate to Adsum Foundation to help assist Tafisoa from Satraha in future literacy programmes, please follow the link below. We are grateful for your help and support, which enables Satraha to make a difference in the education of the people of Madagascar.
