A Day at the Office in Madagascar & Waves of Culture Shock
Posted on 26 March 2010
I do completely adore the unpredictability of working for Azafady in the head office in Madagascar, but on occasion experience waves of culture shock at the levels of social and environmental deprivation here. I have worked for Azafady for 5 months in the HIV department conducting research and supporting the team with data analysis and monitoring requirements. During this time I have made regular trips to the bush to visit Pioneers (Azafady’s international volunteers), project sites and to generally explore. On several occasions throughout this volunteering experience I have been stopped in my tracks and forced to reflect upon a wave of culture shock.
These have included meeting a pregnant 12 year old girl in the bush, watching two women scrape the top layer of mud from the surface of a dried up water hole for their family’s drinking water and being greeted on the path on my way to work by a child wearing a plastic bag for a nappy. These waves have usually involved a humanistic element as both my work and passion have always been drawn towards this area.
However today this changed. I was called by another member of staff out of my wooden hut to a small gathering of people on the road side. My attention was drawn instinctively to a young nondescript Malagasy man, wearing an old ripped t. shirt and cotton trousers. The man held a shaking, squawking basket which he opened to reveal a baby eagle. The endangered bird of prey had most likely been stolen from its nest and had now become this man’s only chance of income for the day. It was a moment of conflicting emotions - part of me wanted to buy the chick for the asking price of £7 and ensure somehow it was integrated back into the wild, but the practicalities of doing this along with the fact that without a mother its chances of surviving would be slim, the risk of encouraging an illegal trade of endangered animals felt too great. The situation provoked thoughts of other conscience struggles, like buying vanilla or jewellery from a street child who should be in school, or buying a wooden souvenir from a local artisan shop of unspecified and potentially unethical origin. These moments of self-reflection feel intensified in the social context of so few vazhas (foreigners), whose actions therefore risk being taken as typical of the West, combined with an ecosystem highly vulnerable to human impact ensure we are never far away from reminders of the consequences of our actions and therefore the need for mindful and responsible behaviour.
Contributed by Ailie Judd, Specialist Volunteer on Project Mampisaina at Azafady NGO in Fort Dauphin
4 responses to A Day at the Office in Madagascar & Waves of Culture Shock
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Thank you Ailie. Thank you for sharing this with us. Your passion and clarity are inspiring. By the way… What happened to the eagle chick?
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