School Repairs in Emagnevy – April 2012

Posted on 10 May 2012 | No responses

By Rebecca Bishop – Short-term Pioneer Volunteer

Us short-termers all arrived at the Fort Dauphin camp on Wednesday 11^th April. One thing that we all agreed stood out to us at the beginning was the journey from the airport to the camp and seeing how the locals live their everyday life. It was all so busy with many, many chickens running around. In fact we stopped more for chickens than we did for people! It was then explained that this was because if you killed a chicken you would owe it’s owner money as raising and selling chickens is a common livelihood here in town.

We arrived into the camp just as it was getting dark so we had to rush a bit to get our tents up. All the other Pioneers and guides were quick to help and it was nice to come into such a welcoming group with such kind people after having traveled so many miles and now being in such an unknown place! Then the following day we got to go to Nahampoana reserve which was without question amazing. Getting to touch the lemurs, see all sorts of wildlife and finishing off with a boat trip down the river was simply incredible!

Before long though we were all in a truck heading to the bush with well over 20 of us piled in the back with all our belongings and food for the next two and a half weeks. This really was something you knew you would never experience unless you were here – Reggae music blaring through the speakers and a few people falling off the seats due to the unbelievably bumpy terrain! After we arrived at our camp we went straight off to introduce ourselves to the Chef. Here we got to see how the Malagasy culture really is, how people live and just how different our home life is to this, it didn’t seem real.

The camp at Emagnevy is scenic to say the least, it doesn’t matter how many times you look out at the same place, it’s always just as breathtaking as the first time. The work we are doing out here is so rewarding, building the structure and seeing it all slowly assemble to form a verandah around the school to protect it from further damage. Don’t get me wrong, it can be hard but you know that you are giving the children out here somewhere safe to get an education. The fact that the children will walk miles every day just to get to school is so meaningful and motivates you while you are out here working.

The kids around here without doubt always bring a smile to your face, they are always so happy despite how little they have and how hard their lives are. Getting the opportunity to teach the kids out here has also been amazing. Seeing how eager they are to learn and knowing that whatever lesson you are teaching no matter if it’s health, environment or English will be taken on board and appreciated where as back in England it can sometimes be a very different story!

Despite us thinking we would all get highly sick of rice and beans we have actually grown to love it. It makes us realize how much we appreciate when the cooks give us a treat of chicken, noodles or fish. It’s made us realize how much we take food for granted at home when out here simple things like a glass of Fanta or a biscuit truly bring a smile to your face.

One thing that we all agree cannot be easily described but was a simply unique experience is the bush party that we got to have while we were here, definitely a once in a lifetime evening. The music, the dancers, the whole atmosphere, we didn’t want it to end! We all feel the same way about the phrase “words cannot describe” as they sum up perfectly the trip we have had so far. What we do know is that we are extremely lucky and thankful to have taken part in something so rewarding and life changing.

Our first week with Azafady – Arrival and First Project

Posted on 10 May 2012 | No responses

By Michelle Barber – Azafady Pioneer volunteer

On Wednesday we arrived into Fort Dauphin airport where we were greeted by a group of Azafady staff members, all with huge smiles! Our bags were loaded straight on to the roofs of two waiting minibuses and we drove the few miles to what would be our base camp for the duration of our stay. The base camp at Lanirano (just on the outskirts of Fort Dauphin) was a pleasant place with a permanent shelter for us to eat in as well as showers and flushable toilets! Our first job was to set up our tents before it got too dark, and after they were all successfully pitched we had a welcome meeting. Here we were introduced to all the Azafady staff who would be working with us during our stay, mainly local staff but also Sinead, the Pioneer Coordinator who is from the UK.

Our first full day in Fort Dauphin was spent being shown around the town, local market and also the Azafady office. At the office we had talks from various Azafady staff regarding the different projects that are carried out, how the different projects link together and why they are carried out in certain ways. It was fantastic to hear how carefully the projects are planned to ensure the local people become self-sufficient and not dependant on the work of Azafady and its volunteers.

On Friday we had our first Malagasy lesson, which was great fun and by the end of the lesson we could have a short conversation. After the lesson we headed into town and to the beach to practice the basic Malagasy we had just learned.

Overnight there was thunder and lightning with very heavy rain causing some areas of our campsite to flood, and by morning a few tents had been relocated! We spent the morning at the Reserve de Nahampoana, where we were lucky enough to see all four species of lemur that they have there. We also spent some of our time preparing seedling bags back at our base camp - the Lanirano camp site is home to the Azafady tree nursery and packing soil into small plastic bags in preparation for tree seeds to be planted in them is a regular activity. Seedlings grown at the tree nursery are then later planted out as part of Azafady’s many afforestation projects – vital in an area where just 10% of the land is forested and where local people depend on the forests for their survival.

After another Malagasy lesson on Monday, we started our first construction project - bench building! These would be used by the local schools that often don’t have enough or any furniture for their students, meaning children all too often sit on the floor in order to learn. Firstly we were shown by the team how to build a bench which took all morning in order for us to properly understand how to do it. So when we were told our aim was to have built 30 benches by Wednesday evening, it seemed impossible! But that afternoon we split up into different groups and by the end of the day each group of 3 had made at least one more complete bench. For the next two days we worked more as a production line and even finished slightly early on Wednesday afternoon, having managed to construct all 30 benches. It was a very impressive achievement, particularly considering the tools we were using and the bendy nails that refused to go in straight!

After our excitement at finishing our project we were keen to celebrate at Coco Beach – the local restaurant complete with a wood fire pizza oven - and to welcome the short-term volunteers who had just arrived and who would be joining us for our next project, school repairs in the small rural village of Emagnevy.

Mahatalaky School Building Project - by Olivia

Posted on 15 March 2012 | No responses

This, for me, was the hardest but the most rewarding part of the 10 week Pioneer scheme. It has been extraordinary to be part of a year long school building project that will eventually provide vital education for the Mahatalaky region. It also provided a huge motive to complete the school and open it to the community during my scheme.

The construction team was helpful when learning new skills such as cement mixing, rendering and rock weaving. It was great to have the opportunity to build on the limited knowledge of construction work that I had. The team was highly enthusiastic and the working atmosphere had an appropriate balance between work and play.

On arrival to the construction site two of the four buildings were almost finished, the third needed some more work and the fourth was only a skeleton. The rain only stopped work a couple of times throughout our time, we were very lucky to have such good weather. After approximately five weeks of work, three of the buildings were completed with the fourth needing a little more work, landscaping also needed to be done. Materials had not been supplied to us on time so this caused a delay in the due date. In late February there was a celebration of Azafady’s efforts and the end of the charity’s project in Mahatalaky. The community showed their appreciation with speeches from the Mayor, the local schoolteacher and the Chef De Quartier and with cultural dancing.

This was the day that I truly felt what we had achieved and that what we had given to the community was invaluable. I know that the school will be extremely beneficial for now and in years to come.

Project Mampianatra

Posted on 27 February 2012 | No responses

I have been working on Project Mampianatra for almost four months now and have enjoyed every minute of it. With help from funders, The British and Foreign Schools Society, we have been able to give support to local students and teachers as well as to local ONG Azafady staff in order to build the capacity of the organisation.

I have been giving weekly English revision sessions to secondary school students in order to prepare them for their final exams which take place in July/August.  All students are incredibly eager to learn and half of the class often asks for extra homework or to walk me home so that they can continue to practice English.  The age range of the Secondary School classes can range from between 16 and 24.  This is due to families sending their children to school at different ages because of money constraints or needing help in the home.  The youth of Fort Dauphin are such a pleasure to teach, each coming to class asking for an explanation of various words, slang and expressions that they have heard on TV, on the radio or read in a book. I have listed a few examples below that made me smile:

• If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
• Ain’t nothing but a chicken wing.
• Vindicate me by your might. (From the Bible perhaps)

In addition to the Secondary School revision classes I have set up a support session with local public school English teachers to improve their spoken English as well as to exchange lesson plans and ideas. We meet once a week for two hours and discuss the difficulties each are having with various elements of the curriculum. We have also been collecting test papers to be shared between the three middle schools. I visit each teacher once every other week in their English classes to give hands on support and to observe their pronunciation and correct them when required. All teachers are very grateful to be receiving help from a foreigner, as for many of them this is the first time they have had the opportunity to communicate with a native speaker.

As for teaching the ONG Azafady staff, I have completed the first 8 weeks of sessions for members of staff.  Each staff member has received tailor made sessions relevant to the work they do here at Azafady.  The sessions have helped to boost confidence in staff members that already have a good level of English and have provided a stepping stone for the beginners.  The next 8 week block is due to begin at the end of the month and will be for another 6 members of staff.  It is really rewarding to see staff members using their English around the office.

I am excited at the prospect of having additional volunteer English teachers; the more hands on deck, the better.  By having more teachers here we would be able reach a greater number of secondary school students, helping them to gain their Baccalaureate qualification and in turn improving the employability of the youth of Fort Dauphin. As well as being able to provide more tailor made lessons for ONG Azafady staff, give more assistance to local English teachers and reach groups that we do not currently have the capacity to teach.

If you are interested in either volunteering as short term or long term English teaching volunteer, please get in contact via either of the email addresses below.

Stacey@azafady.org / mark@azafady.org

Week one: an introduction by Jacinta Dale - Pioneer volunteer

Posted on 24 January 2012 | No responses

It has been less than a week since the plane touched down in Antananarivo and I already love Madagascar despite the slight dodgy belly, torrential rain brought in by a cyclone in the western channel and wet sleeping mat due to leaky tent (user error - better to learn from my mistakes now while we are in Fort Dauphin).

Air Madagascar changed the flight time for the internal trip to Fort Dauphin no less than 3 times and we arrived in Fort Dauphin late Friday afternoon (much more civilised than the original 6.40am arrival) to begin the Pioneer scheme.

I have learned so much about Azafady over the past few days and I am feeling very inspired and excited to head into the bush tomorrow for the school building project.  While 35km from Fort Dauphin does not sound terribly remote, the trip will take us about 2 hours.

We have already done a little work in the tree nursery filling 401 small bags with soil ready for a seed to be planted in each.  Agro-forestry is really important as rather than using the forest, these plants provide an alternative source of firewood and building materials.  This is critical as Fort Dauphin consumes150 tonnes of charcoal per month.

I have been suprised at the number of similarities between this region and Queensland:

• There are the obvious things like the weather and the beaches (we went for a swim at beautiful Libanona and just after we got out of the surf, fishermen arrived in a lankana (like a wooden canoe) and carried up into town a four metre tiger shark);

• There are many of the same plants like mango, pawpaw, banana (I was told they have a type here where you need to kick the trunk for the fruit to ripen, although I suspect my leg was being pulled there), travellers palms and fast growing Aussie imports that can grow in difficult conditions including eucalypt for wood and citronella, acacia for firewood and paper bark used as loo paper;

• There are also some of the same social issues such as how to attract teachers to work in the bush and the interplay between mining, the local population and the environment:

The wildlife however is very different.  We have seen lots of wildlife already: chameleons in the garden of the airport hotel, red parrots and green lizards (which may or may not be giant day geckos) at our campsite and last but by no means least, four types of lemur at Nahampoana Reserve including a troupe of ringtails, brown lemurs, startled looking sifakas and a few reclusive bamboo lemurs.

I will be back in town in early February so keep an eye out for a further update.

P.S. I am typing this with great difficulty on a French style keyboard so please excuse any typos.

Project Fagnavotsy: fuel-efficient stoves and moringa oleifera in Mahialambo

Posted on 7 October 2011 | No responses

This project update was written by Samm Short, Azafady’s Head of Project Development, following a trip to Mahialambo last week. Photos taken by Laura Robson, Azafady’s Project Development Specialist.

The way to the village is wide and dusty, punctuated by giant boulders that sculpt the land into a thousand hills and valleys. It’s not yet 9am and already the sun is blazing. We left the car some way back, where the road gave way to a pre-historic landscape, and headed for the mountains. We pass women working in rice paddies, bent over double, and herds of omby. Unphased by our presence the omby barely raise their sleepy eyelids but the women stand and wave, smiling. We’re here for a celebration after all.

The music reaches us along with the smell of blazing charcoal long before we see the village. And when we do see it, it’s the Azafady banners that we see first, big and bright, tied between wooden posts - “Tetik’asa Fagnavotsy, fanjarian - tsakafo sy tontolo iainana, Renzo Piano Building Workshop / Mahialambo” - a reminder of the important project that the villagers are taking part in, and a thank you to those who are funding it. Through this project every household in the village of Mahialambo will be taught how to build a fuel-efficient stove and every household will be given a Moringa oleifera tree to plant – a fast-growing ‘miracle tree’, each part of which is edible and more nutritious than anything most people here would normally be able to afford. Read more

Forrest’s First Week as a Conservation Research Assistant

Posted on 19 April 2011 | No responses

Forrest (far left) and the Conservation team at the office in Fort Dauphin

We’ve recently had a new addition to the Azafady Conservation Programme’s team of staff in Madagascar - Forrest Hogg, a Biology graduate from the UK, has joined the team as a second Research Assistant. Here he shares his interesting reflections on his first week in Madagascar:

A short flight south from the capital, Antananarivo, in a rather small ‘Air Madagascar’ plane and after an unquestionably dodgy landing, I finally arrived at Fort Dauphin. A girl who runs the project development department, called Samm, picked me up and took me to my new abode. During the taxi ride I heard my first nugget of Malagasy, completely alien to me but beautiful in its tones and accentuations. The house was clean, bizarrely pink and surprisingly massive. It also has a crazy backdrop of the Pic St Louis mountain that guards the neck of the peninsula. Read more

Congratulations to Azafady’s Brighton Marathon team!

Posted on 18 April 2011 | No responses

The whole team sporting their Azafady T-Shirts

For the first time ever, after a decade of existence, in 2011 Azafady had its first team running the marathon. Seven gallant and brave people: Christina Beach, Andrew Tutton, Charlotte Mayall, Paul Thacker, Jamie Tutton, Ollie Shotton and Clare Bryne, started the course in Brighton on a scorching hot April ‘summers day’. Each individual had put in months of training to reach the point where they could last the gruelling 26 mile course. To-date the team has incredibly raised over £6,000 for Azafady and funds are still being donated and collected - in a local context this would be enough to build 10 wells; providing clean drinking water for some 6,000 people in Madagascar. It is a tremendous accomplishment that every member of the team finished the 26.2 miles and the whole Azafady team, both in Madagascar and in the UK, wish to thank every one of the 7 runners for their amazing efforts to help the impoverished communities of southeast Madagascar. We hope that this will be the first of many years of such events and we plan next year to have places on the Brighton marathon again (anyone who is interested for 2012 should contact me at the London office ASAP at mark@azafady.org).

Below is an account of the day written by one of the runners, Christina Beach, who was an Azafady Pioneer volunteer in January 2010, and on returning to the UK decided to take on the challenge of the Marathon for Azafady: Read more

Notes from a Conservation Volunteer in the field March 2011

Posted on 12 April 2011 | No responses

David enjoying an environmental education session about birds

David Corck-Adelman volunteered on the Azafady Conservation Programme in March this year for 2 weeks - here’s a blog post he wrote for us on his last day:

Seven days ago I could never have imagined creeping through a dense jungle poking underneath rotten logs with a stick searching for frogs. Seven days ago I was sitting in my nice warm house with a clean toilet, ample food provisions and no mosquitoes. A lot has changed in seven days!

Working as a volunteer for Azafady has so far been an incredibly rewarding, challenging and exciting experience. Sleeping in a tent, using a bucket shower (literally showering with a bucket) and eating rice and beans every day took a bit of adjustment, but the varied work pattern has kept us all busy and engrossed in the fascinating country that is Madagascar. Read more

Q&A with Sue Traer – Conservation Programme Volunteer

Posted on 30 March 2011 | No responses

Sue Traer conducting research

Sue Traer joined the Azafady Conservation Programme for 10 weeks from October – December 2010. Here she answers some questions about her experience…

What was your background before going to Madagascar?
Ecologist with Norfolk Wildlife Services, Consultancy arm of Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Undertaking protected species and habitat surveys in England.

What motivated you to go to Madagascar with Azafady?
Always wanted to do some voluntary work abroad, especially working with animals. Did not know where to go or with whom but Azafady was recommended to me. After further research and chatting with staff at the London office I finally decided to commit to a 10 week programme. I was keen to work for a charity organisation where the research being undertaken by volunteers would be put to good use and the money raised for the project would help the charity overall within Madagascar.

How did you fundraise for your volunteering programme with Azafady?
Talks, stands at events, a sponsored 17 mile walk and some money from a local Educational Trust.

How did you find the experience of first arriving in Madagascar?
Whow!! Found people very friendly and welcoming. At Sainte Luce quickly settled in to a new way of life – living in tents, fetching water every day from the well for washing, living without the materialistic things that you get used to at home. Volunteers and Azafady staff become your family with everyone looking after each other.
Read more

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