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.

Man selling chickens

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.

Emagnevy School built by Azafady in 2007

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.

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.

Arrival in Fort Dauphin

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!

School benches built by Azafady

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.

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.

Mahatalaky schools bulit by Azafady

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.

Traditional dance at the celebration

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.

]]> http://azafady.us/blog/?feed=rss2&p=768 http://azafady.us/blog/?p=760 http://azafady.us/blog/?p=760#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:38:05 +0000 Lorena http://azafady.us/blog/?p=760

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.

English class at the Lycee high school

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

Fort Dauphin, Madagascar

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.

Ringtail lemurs at Nahampoana

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.

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.

As we round the final corner, we see the villagers waiting for us, standing in the shade of ancient fruit trees. Outside the chef’s house children with bare feet jump and dance to the music coming from two giant speakers. As always I am floored by how quickly they move, and how much shaking such tiny bodies can stand! The youngest must be no more than three years old but is giving the others a run for their money in sheer shaking ability. It seems that for the children at least, the party has started without us: the concept of having a sound system but not playing music is not a much favoured one in Madagascar.

All of the project team are there in their bright red Azafady shirts, walking around and talking to people, and having said our hellos we go to take a seat in the shade as unobtrusively as we can. It doesn’t work of course, and within seconds there’s a man holding a giant reed mat and offering it to us to sit on, with the whole village watching for our response. We thank him and take it to sit on, a process which causes much giggling among the villagers who tease and pinch the poor man unabatedly as he walks away – we are vazahas and unfortunately that means being the source of near constant good natured amusement. It ought to be a career.

The whir of the borrowed generator provides a steady and soporific undertone which combined with the heat, threatens to induce sleep. Wires sprout from the back of the sound system and strangely there is also a small light bulb attached to one of the wires which seems a little redundant given the October sun, but it appears to be integral to the functioning of the system and I decide not to mention it. No doubt it will be one of those things that makes perfect sense to everyone else. Within minutes the project team are up on the microphones, and the celebration begins. Having thanked the villagers for coming, the team hand over the microphone to the President of the Fagnavotsy Association – a committee set up to help Azafady run the project and encourage people to get involved with the various activities. A tall and elegant man who must be in his 50s, he gives his personal testimony of the difference the improved stoves have made to his and his family’s life – with the new stoves he only has to collect firewood once every three days, a vast improvement on what was previously a daily chore, while his wife is able to weave the mats (much like the one we are sitting on) as she cooks since the stoves do not need constant supervision.

He talks about fires that destroy entire villages and how these new stoves can reduce that risk. “Fires are from God,” he says, “but if you have an enclosed stove the chances will be much less.” Three weeks ago a nearby village burned down as a result of an upturned open stove, a devastating incident that can’t be far from the minds of most people here. The President also talks about the environment: “the trees should last longer than we do he says, but we need to keep them in the forests or they will be gone too soon. The trees we’re going to grow in this village are not like other trees, they don’t bear fruit, but you will soon see their use to you.” He finishes by thanking Azafady: “we have a chance today, we have people here who want to look after us and generate development for our village, we need to appreciate that.” As he talks I take in the faces of the people around us, all of whom are watching silently: the President is clearly a well respected man in the village.

With the speeches over the crowd is mobilised into action and I realise that the three piles of earth I am sat next to are the materials for the stove demonstration – clay, sand and omby dung. Shovels and spades are handed out to the men who quickly gather around the piles while the Azafady staff demonstrate how to mix the materials together, which are then pounded in a giant mortar and pestle, normally used for shelling rice. The music resumes, though for the most part the children are too busy watching the stove building to continue their dancing. Smoke starts to pour out of the house next to me, and looking in I see giant cooking pots on open stoves, and a space being cleared for the soon-to-be-new stove. “It’s so smokey!” I say to Lala, Azafady’s Head of Environment. “Yes, it’s a good demonstration of the difference between the stoves, isn’t it?” He says. “This way they can experience the benefits for themselves.” Wise man that Lala.

Moving away from the smoke and stove building, I see a group of women sitting under the shade of a mango tree, sorting through piles of leaves. It is Moringa oleifera, taken from the trees that were planted here by Azafady just last year, which are already over three metres tall and mature enough to be harvested. The women are picking the leaves off and passing them to the team of cooks who are going to make lunch for everyone – a tasty and highly nutritious combination of Moringa, shrimps, cassava, banana and peanuts. Culinary demonstrations like this where the villagers themselves get to try out cooking and tasting different recipes using Moringa and other locally available ingredients are a fantastic way of getting everyone involved and, as Lala says, experiencing the benefits for themselves. As the women work, mugs of Moringa leaf tea are passed around. It’s delicious and I feel healthier even as I drink it. The woman sitting opposite me looks up from her leaves and smiles at me – fangafody, she says, ‘medicine’. Sitting there with the women drinking tea, my mind goes back to a piece of research I did some time ago into alternative treatments for people living with HIV. The main concept was around finding natural and easily available substances that contained the essential chemicals that increase white blood cell count, strengthen the immune system and trigger the reproduction of certain other cells that the body produces to keep the HIV viral load below the level which speeds progression to AIDS. Moringa was one such substance.

With the stove demonstration nearly over the agents hand out leaflets detailing how to construct a stove and the many ways in which the various parts of Moringa can be cooked and eaten. They spend time with each person, talking through it all, and soon I understand why – up at the chef’s house Lala is gathering people around him for an impromptu quiz. It’s wonderful to watch and bizarrely I spot at least three Rolling Stones t-shirts among the boys; I idly wonder if they too might support a project here if they could see the good use their t-shirts have gone to. Lala has them all lining up and raising their hands to answer each question, with much hooting and laughter from the crowd as they speak their answers into the microphone. There’s a wheelbarrow full of Moringa seedlings, each individually wrapped in little black bags, which the winners get to take home with them. Everyone here will be given a seedling to plant, but the game is a fun way of supporting the educational messages the agents give about the care and use of the plants and stoves. After the children the women get called up, then the men until everyone has had a go and a good laugh.

The food is nearly ready, so I take the opportunity to walk down to the river and see the dam, built some years ago by another NGO. A group of children run across the small wall, practising balancing games, and passing rotten jackfruit down the miniature waterfalls to each other. In the shallows I see small white circles like flattened pebbles – cassava. Here, the cassava that grows is too bitter to be eaten, so the villagers cut it into slices and leave it in the water for up to a week, until the bitter taste is washed away, along with what few nutrients were in it to start with. Cassava is the staple food of so many rural communities as it is cheap and easy to grow but sadly it is also almost entirely lacking in nutritional value. I think about the cooking demonstration, and what an enormous difference simply adding Moringa to the daily cassava meal will make to people’s health.

Finally the food is ready and the villagers sit in groups, tasting the new recipe they themselves helped to prepare and cook. This time it was cooked on a traditional open stove but the hope is that in the future this will change and each household will have their own fuel-efficient stove. It’s been a wonderful morning, and such a great opportunity to see both the team in action and the very visible difference this project will make to the lives of the people of Mahialambo. I leave the village smiling and proud, and thankful we’ve been given the opportunity to work with the community in this way. Already my mind is racing with thoughts of future projects - imagine what the world would be like if everyone had access to a fuel-efficient stove and Moringa tree…

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.

Typical Scenery

The next morning - still several time zones away - I was awoken by a feisty and concerned Malagasy lady called Tsina, banging on the metal gate. Tsina is responsible for the logistics that ensure the smooth running of the Azafady Conservation Programme – her parting words were that she was going to be my mother, great. She had kindly arranged a truck to take me to Sainte Luce that day, where the research camp is based.

The drive to Sainte Luce was as fascinating as it was bumpy. With no linguistic overlap with the driver, I was able to take in some of the scenery. Despite the stunning littoral landscape and the peaky ‘misty’ mountains to the west, I found the absence of the forest that once resided on these flat plains striking. Scrubby clumps of gum trees and the solitary palms that litter the human-induced grasslands. The only primary forests that remain in the area are the isolated reserves of Sainte Luce, Mandena and Petriky further to the south, and the odd surviving patch on the steepest slopes of the Anosy mountains. An Island of Islands.

Conservation volunteers at the campsite in Sainte Luce

Sainte Luce reserve appeared on the horizon, a raised carpet of green surrounded by the sandy sea. The Azafady camp has everything you could possibly need: cookhouse, longhouse, store, showers, long-drops and a range of pitching possibilities depending on your botanical-canopy preference. After meeting the team, who all were very at home playing cards and eating green oranges after a mornings work in the forest, I set up camp.

My first night in the bush and I could hear the women from the local hamlet of Ambandraka singing their grievances in the moonlight over a child recently lost to malaria. Through the sorrow, their voices sang out in beautiful harmony.

I spent the next four days with the team familiarizing myself with camplife, the forest, the ongoing research and baking-hot sun. The guides, with the help of markers, know the forest blindfolded and were incredibly helpful in answering all inquisitions. The array of life present here is breathtaking. From the leaf litter up to the canopy roof, species from all five kingdoms crawl, slither, fly, sprout and leap in an giant entangled web, stridulating crickets, grunting lemurs and the distinct calls of the red crested ibis fill the forest with noisy curiosities. Consistently, my attention was drawn away from my path, panning the forest for new sights, inevitably dragging my face through a mesh of thick, sticky spiders’ webs that span the way. Fiainana anaty ala.

Sainte Luce Community Project	View of the forest in Sainte Luce

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:

Christina, Charlotte and Clare prepare for the start of the race

Sunday the 10th of April was Brighton marathon day and what a day it was! Scorching hot for Brighton in April and not something I would usually complain about, but running 26.2 miles in it…’Did I pack suncream?’ was my first thought when I woke up bright and early to consume a runner’s breakfast of bananas, toast and energy drinks.

8am came round pretty quickly and the 7 of us running for Azafady all found each other and had our picture taken, swapped training stories and sharing energy tablets, deep heat and the like in the very long queue for the loos! Totally missing the organised warm up we found our start corrals, wished each other luck and off we went.

Paul and Charlotte in action

First half, as expected, was pretty enjoyable and Jamie, Andy and I enjoyed counting how many times people shouted our names and how many crazy costumes we could spot along the way. After a few nasty hills, and quiet points out of the city with little crowd support, the predicted aches and pains started to kick in. The heat was a real added hindrance as all of us had trained through the winter, so the cold shower sprays around the route were very welcome. By about mile 17 the ‘wall’ had kicked in and the boys carried on as I started a ‘walk/run’ strategy that is then very hard to get out of. What struck me at this point was actually how many people were giving up their Sundays to line the streets, hold out baskets of jelly babies, orange segments and even little kids offering to spray you with water from garden hoses!

By mile 20 I’d decided the only way to get through the last miles actually running as I had intended, was to find people to chat to and spur me on. I met an inspiring lady running for an MS charity in an orange and white tutu and we managed our goal through a mixture of random banter, chatting with other flagging runners and sheer determination. Our mantra was ‘come on legs’ and I don’t know how many times we must have said, ‘we’re so close, only a mile to go’.

Charlotte at the finish line with her medal

Those last four miles were the longest I have EVER run! But they were also the most incredible as the whole promenade was lined with people cheering and shouting out names and words of encouragement that made you feel like a star.

I am pleased to say that I crossed the line in 5 hours 28 minutes with a huge but slightly delirious smile on my face, but with an incredible sense of pride to have run 26.2 miles and raised another £700 for Azafady.

Anyone considering doing this next year, all I can say is if you can, you must. It is simply the most amazing, uplifting and positive experience - a once in a lifetime experience (or maybe not….!).

Chrissy Beach

The whole Azafady 2011 marathon team

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.

David and his paper bird with a beak	David and the other conservation volunteers during an environmental education session

The work spans a range of different activities. Twice a week we visit the local school and teach the children, helping them to learn about different animals. The children are eager to learn and delightfully friendly. We have also spent some time preparing materials for stove building. The stoves are given to local families and are more fuel-efficient than the traditional stoves. Before coming to Madagascar I could honestly say that I had never crushed cow poo with a Coke bottle. I have now!

Kids getting enthusiastic at the environmental education session

The most exciting work takes place in the rainforest. Strolling slowly through the trees in complete darkness using a headtorch to search for the orange gleam of a lemur’s eyeshine is an exhilarating experience. The lemurs themselves are incredibly cute and surprisingly tame! I assumed that they would flee as soon as we got within earshot, but they often seem as interested in us as we are in them! In fact, sometimes it feels like they are observing us!

Sometimes we go out looking for as many lemurs as possible, and on other occasions we follow the first lemur that we see. This can either be a relaxing experience (if the lemur decides to sleep, groom or rest) or it can resemble a crazy game of cat and mouse à la Tom and Jerry (if the lemur is feeding or feeling playful). It’s not unusual to crash through the dense vegetation hurdling falling logs and trying to avoid running face-first into spider webs whilst following a particularly active lemur!

A boophis opisthodon frog found in the forest

Other expeditions into the forest involve us searching for endangered palm trees (Dypsis and Beccariophoenix) or looking for any reptiles or amphibians that might be lurking. The sheer range of fascinating wildlife makes these visits very rewarding.

Madagascar is an incredible country; the people are unbelievably warm and friendly and the work we have been doing for Azafady has taught me so much and been so much fun! More importantly, the work is extremely important and it is very exciting to be involved in such vitally important conservation work in such a special place.

David Corck-Adelman
Sainte-Luce, March 2011

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.

What projects were you involved in while volunteering?

• Lemur behaviour and transects
• Herpetological (amphibians & reptiles) surveys
• Tree surveys – Dypsis Saint Lucei and Beccariophoenix madagascariensis
• Habitat surveys
• Education – teaching children about habitats and importance of forest plus English
• Stove building
• Community questioning to gauge the villagers of St Luce’s feelings about the forests

Conservation volunteers observing a brown lemur	Environmental education with children in the forest	Some of the group of October Conservation Volunteers

How did you find the Azafady volunteer programme overall?
Great – obviously a few problems which is to be expected but overall very good and rewarding.

What was your impression of Azafady, volunteering for us and our work in Madagascar?
Good – working hard to improve life for the local communities and helping the biodiversity of Madagascar by detailed research into what is in the disappearing forests to enable communication with local people and the mining company to help protect the habitat.

Do you have a particular highlight from your time in Madagascar with Azafady?
Watching the behaviour of the Collared Brown Lemurs – from the birth of the young to where they are finally moving away from their mothers. Education – teaching the children about the forest habitats in Madagascar and encourage them to recognise the importance of the habitat for the people in Saint Luce and also the wildlife/species present.

How has the volunteer programme affected you since you returned? Is it an experience you have gained from personally, and/or professionally?
I feel I am more confident which helps both personally and professionally and am happy to put myself forward to do things that I would not have considered before.