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.
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Pioneers Learning from World Latrine Day

Posted on 28 March 2011 | No responses

Rachel and other pioneer volunteers preparing to get on stage

Rachel Taylor joined Azafady’s Pioneer programme for 10 weeks in October-December 2010. Rachel is from Washington State in the USA and is a student of Community Development. Here she reflects on what she learnt from participating in Azafady’s health & sanitation events on World Latrine Day…

World Latrine Day was recently celebrated by me for the first time in Mahatalaky. We took a day off of brick making and cement mixing, and the group of us trekked off towards the region’s market in Mahatalaky. The evening before we had all been given questions about latrines, which were written in Malagasy. One of the more ridiculous moments of my life had come about the evening before–a small crowd had gathered to watch me lay on my back, in a field, in frustration, repeating, “What are two ways of preventing diarrhea?” while my friend stood over me correcting my embarrassing attempts to get it right. Read more

Pioneer Fuel-Efficient Stove building

Posted on 17 March 2011 | No responses

Jo Coxall showing off his dirty hands

Jo Coxall, one of Azafady’s January – March 2011 Pioneer volunteers, gives insight into the making of fuel-efficient stoves which reduce the amount of fuel-wood needed for households by some 70% and so help to protect the forests and to improve standards of health by reducing smoke inhalation.

During the final three weeks of our pioneer scheme we were stationed in the picturesque and remote village of Beandry. The community of Beandry had yet to experience the joys of fuel efficient stoves and were all eager to get their hands on one. Making stoves was a bizarre experience as not only do you get covered in zebu dung but you cover peoples huts in zebu dung. Read more

Pioneer October-December 2010 Blog by Rachel, the team coordinator

Posted on 23 February 2011 | No responses

Rachel Maclachlan originally joined Azafady as a Pioneer herself back in 2005 and she has stayed in touch with Azafady – and hooked on Madagascar – ever since. Now she is coordinating the Pioneer volunteer teams on the ground, and here she reflects on her first team of Pioneers who joined Azafady from October – December 2010:

Notes from a large island

My first scheme as pioneer coordinator, I was nervous yet excited to be part of Azafady and back in Madagascar. I had nothing to worry about my team are excellent and my first group were a lovely bunch. A large group when combined with the short termer’s - all 22 of us started with a large 3 roomed school in Lanirano. Being made of wood, there was a lot of preparation work to be done, sawing, chiselling and marking up of planks. However my tireless team steamed through and the school went up on schedule!

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Azafady Conservation Programme October – December 2010: Volunteer Blog

Posted on 4 February 2011 | No responses

These are extracts of diary entries and ‘random impressions’ from the whole October-December 2010 Azafady Conservation Programme team, written by Sarah Nicholl-Carne, a retired British volunteer who joined the programme for 8 weeks.

Sainte Luce

We have pitched our tents in an impromptu farmyard. At various points during the night, the geese will start honking, followed by their many goslings, all chirping. There are some very sweet-looking puppies, who bark & yap; the cats miaow back. The rooster kicks off at about 5.00am The chickens then get going and the tiny chicks cheep frantically. Each animal in turns comes to check out each tent in the hope of food scraps. At 5.30 the cook starts clanging her heavy iron cooking pots – rice for breakfast. Then at about 6.00 you hear the various alarm calls of assorted mobile phones, followed by zips. Camping is all about zips. And when we assemble for breakfast at 7.00 the zebu amble past. Large, humped and horned cattle, who are strangely silent.

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