mfm brochure 2011

8/6/2019 MfM Brochure 2011

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A message from our trustees

How it all began - by our founder, Barbara Prys-Williams

Madagascar, whilst famous for its astonishing flora and fauna,s a country in crisis. After decades of economic disarrayevels of income, healthcare and education are amongst theowest in the world whilst population growth is puttingenormous pressure on precious rainforest.

n response to this social and environmental disaster Moneyfor Madagascar was founded in 1986 by returning volunteerswanting to fund local solutions and enable the Malagasypeople to take charge of their own destiny. Since then wehave raised over two million pounds.

Our projects tackle many of the key issues facing Madagascartoday: food security, loss of bio-diversity, poor health andextreme poverty. We also respond to emergencies, fromcyclone relief to feeding programmes for street kids and theirfamilies. With modest resources we have built a record thatwe, our supporters and our Malagasy partners are proud of.

n this booklet we will share with you the stories of some of

the many communities that we continue to support inMadagascar. But first, let me hand over to our founder, Bar-bara Prys-Williams, to tell you a little more about our origins.

Chris Sewell, Trustee, Money for Madagascar

In the 1980s, Madagascar was in a very bad way with a collapsing economyand starvation in certain areas of the country. As a former teacher in Mada-gascar, I could find no way to send help through existing channels, so I set upmy own small effort with the oversight and support of Swansea Quakers.After three years we became an independent charity, receiving support fromComic Relief, the government and many individuals and trusts.

The early years had their problems, particularly in the area of communicating with andmonitoring our projects. Before the advent of computers it took weeks to get

nformation to and from Madagascar and many problems arose as a result. I rememberperceiving the fax machine when it arrived as one of the wonders of the world! Todaywe can have a reply from our partners within minutes thanks to E-mail. We are verypleased that our early principle: that the Malagasy people contribute the ideas and themanpower while we provide the money and oversight, has proved fruitful for so long.

Welcome!

Beautiful, unique,threatenedMadagascar isa country in environmental,social and economic crisis.


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Working with the people of Madagascar has truly

been a lifetime commitment for some of our

team. Pictured here are MfM trustees who, as

fresh-faced youngsters, embarked for Madagascar

as volunteers more than forty years ago and

continue to support the people of Madagascar

today. See if you can spot them in the present

day photo above! Between them we estimate

that our trustees have almost 200 years of

experience of development work in Madagascar.

Lifetimes of experience

The Money for Madagascar Team: (r-l): Timothy King, Steve Wilkinson, Stuart Cassie, Martin

Wilkinson, Theresa Haine, Mike Cherry, Irene Rajaona-Horne, Jan Kirby, Gwen Evans, Chris

Sewell, and Bernadette King.

Money for Madagascar is run by a team of eleven people consisting of ten unpaid trustees

nd one salaried development worker. They are central to achieving our key objective as a

harity: to ensure that as much money as possible goes to support innovative, sustainable

ocally-led projects in Madagascar. This team is responsible for assessing the viability of the

roposals that we receive from our Malagasy partners, allocating funds and verifying theutcomes of the projects once completed.

The Money for Madagascar team

This model only works thanks to the depth and breadth of experience that our trusteesnd development worker bring with them. Every one of them has either lived and worked

n Madagascar or boasts extensive experience of development work, fundraising, business

r management. This practical experience, cultural awareness and love for the Red Island

nd its people is critical to identifying the right projects to support and ensuring that our

onors money is spent safely and effectively.


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Our patrons

Rt Hon Lord Anderson of Swansea was Labour MP for Monmouth from1966 to 70, and Swansea East from 1974 to 2005. He was made a life peer in2005 and throughout his career has remained deeply involved in internationalaffairs, most recently as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee(1997-2005).

Hilary Bradt MBE has visited Madagascar around 25 times since her first trip

in 1976, mostly as a tour leader. She lectures, broadcasts and writes about thejoys and perils of travelling in Madagascar and other countries. She is also thefounder of Bradt Travel Guides. Her Bradt Guide to Madagascar is now in its10th edition. She was appointed MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours forservices to the tourist industry and to charity.

Sir Mervyn Brown KCMG is a former British ambassador to Madagascarand the author of the seminal books Madagascar Rediscovered and AHistory of Madagascar. While living there he and his wife learned to playMalagasy music and won several tennis championships. He is the President ofthe Anglo-Malagasy Society, a member of the Academie Malgache and one ofthe worlds foremost authorities on the Red Island.

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Dr Lee Durrell is Honorary Director of the internationally renownedDurrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. A specialist in animal behaviour andcommunication, she researched her PhD on Madagascar in the early 1970s. Aswell as co-authoring a number of books with her husband Gerald Durrell she

is an author in her own right. State of the Ark is a reference work on issuesfacing conservationists and methods of tackling environmental problems.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead has long been a campaigner on issuesrelating to Africa and cemented her reputation as an expert on the regionduring her time as an MEP as co-president of the African, Caribbean and PacificEU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and with the British Government as Minister

of State for Africa, the Caribbean, Central America and the UN. She is now

Shadow Spokesperson on International Development in the House of Lords.

Dr Barbara and Dr Allan Prys-Williams set up Money forMadagascar and largely ran it for its first decade. They wereresponsible for establishing the basic principles and structure uponwhich more than twenty-five years of success has been based.

One of the secrets of our success is the backing of a group of patrons with unparalleled

knowledge of international development, the environment, and Madagascar itself. Few

organisations can be fortunate enough to be able to call upon the support and advice of

such a prestigious and knowledgeable group, each with world-class expertise in one or

more of the fields within which we work.


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Education...Our approach is to support Malagasy people in finding theirwn solutions and changing their own communities. We areot a large charity so it is important that what funds we havere spent wisely. We make grants directly to an establishedetwork of development partners. These inspirational peo-le lead organisations from across civil society including edu-ational, community, and faith-based groups. Heres whathey have to say about their experience of working with Mo-ey for Madagascar:

Friendship, trust and cooperation

Our development partners

My organisation has worked in partnership with Money

for Madagascar since 1991. They have funded many vital

projects for us: income generating projects for remotecommunities, literacy and numeracy schemes, initiatives to

help prisoners, the funding of primary education and many

vocational training programmes..

Mme Charnette, Director FATOAM, Tamatave

We are so impressed by the strength of the long-term

commitment that Money for Madagascar have made to us.

Their Coordinator travelled 600km by car just to visit our

projectwhat courage and enthusiasm!

Mr Jean Pierre, Head of SAF Development Agency,Maintirano.

Thanks to Money for Madagascar hundreds of children

now have a decent place to study. Mr. Martin Ravelomanantsoa, Director of

Association ALF, Central Highlands, Madagascar

The success of the projects that we fund is only possible thanks to a network of trusted Malagasydevelopment partners established over more than 25 years.


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Education...Using our network of partners and the experience of our trustees we provide support tohose groups of Malagasy society who suffer most from the economic and environmentalrisis that Madagascar is enduring. We also target communities who we feel have an impor-ant part to play in tackling the key problems facing modern Madagascar. Here are the

rincipal groups of beneficiaries that we support :

Who we help

Our beneficiaries

Destitute children

Every year more than 1000 street kids receive food, educationand medical care at MfM funded drop-in centres in the capitalwhilst 140 destitute kids have a safe place to live. The sixtyclassrooms that we have built since 2004 are used to educatemore than 2000 children in locations across Madagascar.

Vulnerable women and girls

We fund vocational training for vulnerable and impoverishedwomen and support the formation of income generatingco-operatives enabling Malagasy women to support themsel-ves. Elsewhere our money supports projects helping singlemothers, troubled teenagers and victims of domestic violence.

Young people with physical or learning disabilities

The Malagasy state provides virtually no specialist support forthose growing up with a disability. Money for Madagascar fundsspecialist education and care for dozens of children and youngpeople who otherwise would spend their youth confined totheir homes and deprived of friendship or education.

Families escaping povertyWe are committed to helping destitute families escape thepoverty trap by funding vocational training and start-up grantswhich allow ordinary people to begin small businesses. Suchschemes are funded both in urban areas and also in ruralcyclone-hit regions to enable communities to regenerate.

Communities in ecological hotspots

n more than 73 villages we fund projects includingreforestation, food security and environmental education.These projects are designed to protect precious habitats whilstsupporting the communities around them. We also fund wells,atrines, schools and income generating schemes.


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Malagasy solutions to Malagasy problems

Our principles:

Any visitor to Madagascar is sure to be impressed byhe resourcefulness and initiative of the Malagasy people.

Money for Madagascar manages to produce big results with

mall sums of money by harnessing the ideas and local knowhow of Malagasy people to build lasting, cost-effectiveolutions. We believe that Malagasy people themselves bestnderstand the issues which affect them and are best placedo find realistic ways of tackling them.

We only fund projects that have been planned andnitiated by Malagasy people. Once a project proposal haseen accepted by our trustees the money is sent to one ofur Malagasy partners and the project is then managedhrough to completion by local people. Once a year arustee visits such projects to verify the success of the ven-ure and assess its genuine impact on the beneficiaries.

We favour ideas which make the best possibleuse of available resources and are proud to supportprojects with an emphasis on recycling and sustainabletechnologies. These include rainwater harvestingsystems, the innovative use of plastic bags and bottles,and the production of charcoal alternative fuels.

Such solutions help reduce living costs for ourbeneficiaries whilst helping to address some of theunderlying environmental issues plaguing Madagascar.

Rewarding resourcefulness

A charcoal-alternative fuelmaking scheme based on

Malagasy ideas and ingenuity.

Community participation

A boy waters an urban market gar-den planted in discarded plastic bagsusing an improvised watering-can.

Villagers digging the foundations of aMoney for Madagascar fundedschool in a rural community.

We work with Malagasy partners who involvend empower their beneficiaries. When funding con-truction or repair projects we ask, wherever possiblehat the local community contributes land, labour and

what local materials they can gather, such as clay,

ocks or river sand to the project.This not only keeps costs down but also engageshe commitment of the local community and authori-es in the project and acts as a permanent reminder of

what can be achieved through collective action.


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Keeping costs to a minimum

The road less travelled: by our Co-ordinator, Theresa Haine

Every year Money for Madagascar sends a trustee to

meet with our local partners and to monitor in person theprogress of key projects. The remoteness of many of thecommunities we support when twinned with our meagretransport budget means that this is often easier said thandone. I have lost count of the numbers of times I havefallen into rivers, endured marathon taxi-broussejourneys or trudged, ankle-deep in mud, for miles to visit anewly constructed school, latrine or compost heap. River

crossings are a constant nightmare, whether by roadbridges in a frightening state of disrepair, ricketyfootbridges or wobbly bamboo rafts.

Our founder Barbara Prys-Williams recounts a sca-ry tale of a homeward voyage by canoe at night across themouth of a wide, shark-infested river, after visiting avegetable growing project somewhere on the east coast.Such experiences remind us that these are the conditionsthat our development partners live in everyday. It makes the work they do all the moreimpressive and makes us all the moredetermined to help.

Helping isolatedcommunities brings with it

unique challenges for visitingtrustees!

As a small charity we strive to ensure that theonations that we receive provide the maximum possi-le benefit to the people and environment of Madagas-

ar. To achieve this we keep our running costs to anbsolute minimum, operating using volunteer staff,working from our homes and keeping our postal,rinting and administration costs low.

This no frills approach can be found in everyspect of our work. We do not pay the salaries andving costs of expatriate staff to manage our projects

This no frills tree-nurseryembodies our low-cost approachto development and conservation.

ut instead invest in agencies run by Malagasy staff. When visiting Madagascar, our trusteesat, live and travel as our Malagasy development partners do. Our partners also play theirart - striving to make their projects as cost-effective as possible.

A donation to us is not wasted on fleets of 4x4s, glossy ad campaigns or irritatingmail-drops. It is sent to the motivated, trustworthy, ingenious people who need it to fundmall-scale initiatives which make a lasting difference to communities across Madagascar.


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Madagascar is an environmental hotspot.Deforestation and slash and burn agriculturehreaten the very survival of its flora and fauna,0% of which is found nowhere else in the world.

Money for Madagascar has always seen humanevelopment as essentially linked to environmentalrotection. In Madagascar many people depend onhe forest for their livelihoods. It is not realistic toxpect people to abandon traditional but environ-

mentally damaging practices without promotinglternative methods of producing food, fuel andncome.

nvesting in people and their environment

Conserving and replenishing

Recognition for our work

Teaching Malagasy children to respect andnurture their environment is critical to the survival

of Madagascars biodiversity. Children and youngpeople will one day go on to raise families of theirown, passing on their own attitudes - whethergood or bad. MfM helps schools both inside andoutside the rainforest to set up kitchen gardensand tree nurseries, which are accompanied by agri-cultural training and environmental education.

By working with children we hope to changeattitudes and promote environmentally sustainabledevelopment for years to come.

The next generation

Providing food security and reliablesources of income to rural communitiesis critical to protecting the rainforest.

Students of an MfM sponsoredenvironmental education programme.

Dr Alison Jolly

Our work over 2 decades with 73 villages surrounding the Reserveof Betampona recently gained recognition at an international conferenceeld at the University of East Anglia. Amongst the experts inMadagascar

Conservation who attended was Dr Alison Jolly, a renowned primatolo-ist who has conducted extensive fieldwork on lemur biology and even

ad a new species of mouse lemur, Microcebus jollyae, named in heronour. After hearing our presentation she offered these words of praise:I applaud Money for Madagascars local level, long term, investment andnvolvement. This is the only real way to help local people conserve theirown environment.

We work with Malagasy partners who have built trust and understanding withommunities that use the forests. By providing agricultural training, environmentalducation, tools, seeds, livestock, small grants and technical support, we have helpedhousands of villagers to improve their quality of life, whilst also protecting the forests.


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Case study: Forests for lifeOver twenty years ago MfM funded a

village tree nursery project in Ampefiloha. Thelocal community began by planting thousands ofsaplings on barren land. These saplings have nowgrown into an impressive forest. The villagerslook after their forest and harvest the wood

sustainably. They recen-

tly used timber fromtheir forest to build anew primary school.

A few hundred poundsfor tools and seedlingswas all this village nee-ded to invest in their

future. Now they have asustainable source of fuel and timber, a source ofincome, and a new school. Money for Madagascaris proud to help communities who want to helpthemselves and their environment.

Often the best way to protect an old forest is to plant anew one. Money for Madagascar has funded village co-operatives and womens groups to plant wildlife corridors and

new buffer forests. In Maintirano localwomen, concerned about dwindlingsupplies of forest-sourced craft mate-rials, secured land to plant their ownforest. A grant from Money for Mada-gascar enabled them to set up a plantnursery and start their project.

This new forest now helps to protect the indigenous for-st and provides a sustainable supply of materials for their craftroduction. We also funded public toilets and an extension tohe market place to help the women sell their produce.

It is unrealistic to try to banish people from the forest, werefer instead to help them to use it in a sustainable way. Byecoming forest stewards our beneficiaries value the flora andauna as precious commodities to be preserved and nurtured.

Adding value by adding forests

One of several marketbuildings built for the

sale of sustainablyproduced crafts.

Planting began over 2 decades ago...

Over twenty years later this schoolwas built using wood from the forest.

The forest today.

A group of female artisansstarted the Maintiranoreforestation project.


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Health and HygieneSafe water & sanitation

Clean water saves lives.

Across Madagascar thousands of people die every

ear for want of access to clean water, sanitation, and

rimary health-care. According to the World Health

Organisation, a shocking 64% of the rural population are

without access to improved water sources, and 73% of

hem have no access to improved sanitation.

For those that fall victim to water-borne illnesses the

ituation is bleak. With no free health-care and less than 2

octors per 10,000 of the population it is little wonder that

in 10 Malagasy children dont make it to their fifth birth-ay.

Squalid toilets like this are often shared by

hundreds of people.

Dying for a toilet

Money for Madagascar helps to improve

health and hygiene in isolated rural communi-

ties, which have been overlooked by the

Malagasy Government and NGOs alike.In areas where mains water is unavail-

able we install wells and water pumps to

provide a supply of safe water. Despite the

relatively low cost of such installations they

are frequently beyond the means of people

who are already struggling to feed themselves.

In Madagascar living conditions are often

shockingly basic, building decent toilet facilities

is often a very low priority. We have funded

the construction of dozens of hygienic toilet

facilities in schools and villages across the

country. 9% of deaths in Madagascar are from

diarrhoeal diseases, these simple improve-ments to basic hygiene have the potential to

save thousands of lives and provide an exam-

ple to nearby communities.We fund lasting, hygienic replacements.


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Confronting ignorance and saving lives - an HIV andsexual health awareness workshop.

Health Education

Case study: surgery for street kids

ommunity projects. Working with womens groups, teenagers at risk, schoolchildren,

eachers, and farmers, education and advice is delivered by peer educators and covers

asic health-care and first-aid, family planning and sexual health.

The World Health Organisation

alculates that Madagascar has less

han 1000 health workers in the

whole country, covering an estimated

9 million people.

With doctors rare and medicine

rohibitively expensive the more you

an learn about keeping yourself and

our family healthy the better. Money

or Madagascar funds health education

rogrammes in both urban and rural

Sales of these toys enabled thisboy to have life-saving surgery.

With no National Health Service, health-care in

Madagascar does not come cheap and if you are home-

less, your chances of affording surgery are zero. For

over a decade we have been funding the Sisters of the

Good Shepherd in Antananarivo to provide education

and health-care to street kids.

In 2005 the Sisters first identified a child whourgently needed surgery. They wanted to help but the

fees were astronomical by local standards and well

beyond their ordinary budget. As a result the Sisters

Surgery Fund was born.

Thankfully the boy went through surgery and

made a good recovery. Ever since, thanks to sale of

hand-knitted lemurs made by our supporters, we have

been able to pay for essential surgery for a further two

children each year.


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Decades of political and economicrisis have left millions of children livingves beneath the poverty line. Life is hardnough for those lucky enough to be born

ealthy and into loving families but forMadagascars most vulnerable childrenhere is no safety net.

In the absence of meaningfulovernment funding, we support severalrojects aimed at providing care andducation for orphaned, abandoned,omeless or disabled children living in the

apital.

Lives in the balance

Helping vulnerable children

Street children at one of our feeding programmesin Antananarivo.

Making education a right and not a privilege

Madagascars underfunded education system is barelyable to provide a basic primary education to pupils inmainstream schooling. Provision for those with learningdisabilities is practically non-existent or, where available,archaic in its preconceptions and approaches. La Source is aspecialist school offering progressive education, vocationaltraining and hope to disabled children and young peoplefrom across the nations capital. It is one of only a handful ofsuch centres in a country of over 19 million people.

For over a decade Money for Madagascar hassponsored the salaries of teachers and backed numerousinitiatives to improve the range of activities and the qualityof education offered to the dozens of children who study atLa Source. The results have been a joy to behold.

In addition to providingritical funding for running costs,

we have also raised money tonable La Source to take stepsowards financial independence andong term sustainability. One suchroject was the creation of an on-

te patisserie where students couldearn valuable kitchen skills whilsthe proceeds of the cakes andastries sold provided much neededevenue for the school.

Two pupils at La Source.


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A refuge for the harmed and abandoned

Situated on the outskirts of Antanana-vo, Akany Avoko is a childrens homeroviding a refuge for more than one hun-

red abandoned, orphaned or destitute chil-ren. More than two decades of supportrom Money for Madagascar has seen thisentre grow from modest beginnings to be-ome one of Madagascars leading centres ofducation, vocational training and social careor destitute children and young people

Akany Avoko is home to children of

all ages between newborns and youngadults. Children rescued from the streetsor impoverished and sometimes abusivehomes are offered the chance to live in aloving, secure environment whilst receivingnutritious food and a great education. Inaddition to providing a model of childcarefor other centres Akany Avoko is also a

demonstration centre for alternativetechnologies and sustainable living.

In addition to contributing significantly tohe running costs of the centre, Money for

Madagascar has fundraised for dozens of one-ff projects aimed at improving standards ofducation, health, hygiene and childcare. Byommitting to providing long-term we havenabled Akany Avoko to grow into the vibrant,oving community that it is today.

The smiles of the children say all youeed to know about this inspirational project.

The work of La Source simply could not continuewithout the support of Money for Madagascar. Withoutthis project dozens of disabled children would be con-demned to a life excluded from their communities,deprived of education and denied the friendship of

others.Thanks to our supporters this oasis of progressive

education goes from strength to strength.


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Almost every year Madagascar is batteredy cyclones of incredible strength and violence.

During the most violent storms 100 mph winds

ear off roofs, demolish buildings, bring downower lines and fill the air with deadly projec-les. Meanwhile the accompanying heavy rainsood homes, decimate crops, cut off roads andestroy bridges.

Hundreds of thousands of people suffervery year from the effects of these storms.

Whether killed, injured, left homeless or impov-rished, whole communities can be devastated

within a matter of hours.The damage to public buildings and infra-

tructure can be enormous. Sadly the govern-ment rarely provides sufficient funding to rebuildost hospitals, schools, roads or bridges meaninghat it is a miracle if the damage from one yearsyclone season is repaired before the next ar-ives. This downward spiral has left many coastal

ommunities as shadows of their former selves.

Weathering the storm

Disaster relief

In the immediate aftermath of acyclone Money for Madagascar is able toprovide swift, effective emergency reliefthrough trusted local partner organisa-

tions. We send money to help fund feedingstations and temporary shelters and toorganise 'food for work' schemes wherebythe able-bodied are paid in rice forrepairing the cyclone-damaged roads intheir area.

To address longer-term issues wehave also funded vital repair work todamaged schools, hospitals, childrenshomes, and community resource centres.

Picking up the pieces

Every year violent cyclones lash the coastof Madagascar destroying homes,

businesses, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

Emergency food aid is distributed by one of our

network of partner organisations.

Whilst no building could ever be described as entirely cyclone-proof, whereverossible we encourage building practices designed to minimise the danger of the futuretorms that will visit Madagascar in the years to come .


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Case study: Repairing a hospital at Belo-sur-Mer

In addition to emergency relief workMoney for Madagascar also funds importantwork to help communities prepare for thempact of future cyclones. In one community we

unded the purchase of two boats which are nowsed as emergency vehicles during the cycloneeason and for the rest of a year to transportocal pupils to school and goods to market. Inthers we have supported schemes to plant largeumbers of hardy, strong rooted plants torotect against the mudslides and dramatic soilrosion that often accompanies the rainy season.

Of course cyclones are not the only disasters which threaten Malagasy communi-es. Bush fires, often caused by the environmentally disastrous practise of tavy (slashnd burn agriculture) are a huge danger to rural communities and precious wildlifeabitats. We ensure that the reforestation schemes funded by us incorporate safety

measures such as firebreaks to minimise the impact of forest fires and anti-erosionlanting programmes designed to protect against heavy rains and flooding.

Disaster preparedness

Cyclone Fanele hit the west coast of Mada-gascar in late January 2009, bringing with it180mph winds and devastating the vital portof Belo-Sur-Mer. Many homes and civicbuildings including the towns hospital wereseverely damaged.

Money for Madagascar quickly launched an

appeal and, within months were able to payfor the hospital to be re-roofed and much ofits interior to be repaired. This was aconsiderable undertaking as all of the mate-rials had to be brought in by sea and thencarried to the site of the hospital on peo-ples backs.

As the photos show the project was aresounding success and Belo Hospital isonce again able to provide vital medical careto the residents of the area.

..and after.

Funding from Money for Madagascarallowed the roof of Belo sur Mers only

hospital to be repaired.

Before...

A boat, purchased by Money forMadagascar, to reach isolated communi-

ties in the aftermath of cyclones.


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Working towards independence

With less than 20% of theopulation in formal employment,arning a living in Madagascarequires incredible ingenuity, energy

nd hard work. In our experiencehe Malagasy poor are desperate toft themselves out of poverty but thetruggle of daily life makes itmpossible for people to save-upven the funds needed to start theirwn business.

Funding to start small businesses can be almostimpossible to find.

A struggle to survive

Photo

In urban areas Money for Madagascarfunds small business creation schemesdelivered through community centres,refuges and outreach workers. These

schemes aim to help the homeless and desti-tute, young offenders, orphans, youngmothers and young people with specialneeds.

By offering training and small grantsMoney for Madagascar enables societyspoorest people the opportunity to get backon their feet.

Backing urban enterprise

By backing budding entrepreneurs Madagascarhelps lift disadvantaged people out of poverty.

A new start for destitute young women

Vocational skills help single mothers reachIndependence and financial stability.

Our partners across the island work with the urban and rural poor to foster enter-

rise and income-generation. They offer training, small grants, tools, materials and supporto thousands of people to help them start their income-generating enterprises.

At Akany Avoko Childrens Homeestitute teenagers learn innovative craft-

making skills, using natural and recycledmaterials, such as this bike made from aiscarded can.

Once the young adults are skilled and

eady for independence, they are given atart-up grant to set up their own workshops well as assistance with selling theirroduce through the Akany Avoko gift shop.


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Farmers living in and around Madagascars

threatened rainforests face hard lives and diffi-cult dilemmas. As their families grow and theirland degrades they must either chop downmore forest to cultivate, or find new ways toimprove their yields. When cash is needed formedication or school fees, they might fell andsell a precious tree unless they have anotherway to generate cash.

We have helped hundreds of entrepreneurialfarmers in Betampona with materials, tools andtraining. Thanks to initiatives in fish-farming,vegetable growing, animal rearing, beekeeping,fruit-growing, coffee cultivation and improvedrice production these farmers now produceenough food to nourish their families. Increasedproductivity also enables them to earn an in-

come by selling their surplus. With this profitthey are able to buy essential supplies and alsoto further invest in their businesses.

Rural initiatives

A rural craft collective at work using sustainablysourced forest materials.

Often issues of overpopulation andnemployment in urban areas are a directesult of the influx of the rural poor into

major cities in search of jobs. To enableemote communities to earn sustainable in-ome we fund support schemes in four ruralegions.

Our development partners build rela-onships with communities, responding to

ocal initiatives and training and encouragingwould-be entrepreneurs.

Bringing women together in co-operatives reinforces their skills and helps them toobby for decent prices for their goods. It also enables them to access larger markets toell their wares. On the East Coast our Partner SAF FATOAM has established co-peratives of craft producers and fruit sellers, who are now producing for both the localnd export markets.

Teach a man to fish

Case study: Farming in the forest


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Education: a right, not a privilege

ducation is crucial to helping the people of

Madagascar escape poverty but sadly across

much of the country thousands of children are

nable to go to school because there are notnough places or because their parents cannot

fford educational fees, materials or uniforms.

These issues are compounded by the chronic

hortage of money available for repairing and

maintaining school buildings.

Since 2004 MfM has funded work at 29 schools

across Madagascar. This includes the building or

renovation of 60 classrooms and the construc-

tion of two completely new schools. We have

also funded the purchase of land for school

buildings, sponsored the creation of school vege-table gardens and canteens and built new latrines

to improve health and hygiene.

Access to education is a fundamental rightdenied to many Malagasy children.

Breaking the cycle of poverty

Money for Madagascar supports dozens ofschools across the Red Island.

Supporting schools country-wide

Funding inspirational educators

A school building means nothing without

reat teachers to bring it to life. As well as

elping to build and repair schools Money

or Madagascar also pays the wages of

ducators in both mainstream and specialist

chools. As well as supporting children in

cademic education we fund teachers pro-

iding vital education to some of Madagas-

ars most disadvantaged people including

Providing additional teachers reduces class sizes

and raises the quality of ducation.

treet children and children with disabilities. We also support the rehabilitation of offend-

rs through a prison literacy programme.


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Case study: Rebuilding a school in the central highlands

One memorable project amongst many was the re

-construction of a school in the remote village of

Soanatohizana in the central highlands. This is what

the original building looked like from the inside:

cracked walls, no glass in the windows, earth floorand a leaking grass roof (removed in this picture).

There is no road suitable for vehicles to

reach the village so all the building materi-

als: bricks, roofing sheets and timber, had

to be carried on peoples backs across a

perilous bridge and up the steep hillside tothe village. The parents of pupils volun-

teered to provide 10% of the cost by giving

their labour free of charge and by providing

some of the materials. MfM provided the rest.

The foundations were dug by hand with

spadesthe whole village took part. The partici-

pation, energy and ingenuity of Malagasy com-

munities is vital to the work that we do.

A first taste of formal education...

Street children relishing their firstexperience of classroom study

or many of Madagascars children the opportu-

ity to don a uniform and study in a classroom is

nly a dream. Nowhere more is this the case

han with the thousands of street children livingomeless on the pavements of Madagascars ma-

or cities. We fund a number of projects aimed at

iving these children the opportunity to join for-

mal education for the first time. Of course no-

ne can study on an empty stomach so MfM also funds feeding programmes to provide

ree meals for students, helping them to focus on their lessons rather than their tummies!


20/20

Helping Us

Closing words...

This year marks 35 years since I first visited Madagascar and fell in love withthe place. When I wrote my first little guidebook on the country in 1986 Inoted that the population was nine million. Now it is over 20 million. In thatbook I described the train journey from Tana to Tamatave and the delight of

passing so close to the forests that bordered the railway that you couldalmost pick the flowers through the window. Over the years Ive watchedthis and many other favourite patches of forest disappear. I am not blind to

he causes of this deforestation. Ive seen the poverty, the children with distended bellies,nd the relentless slog of the men and women to feed their families. I know there is noasy answer.

t would be heart-breaking if it were not for my discovery, in the 1980s, of Money for

Madagascar. I saw immediately how they were different: how donations were used to al-ow the naturally hard-working and enterprising Malagasy to achieve their goals, and howmy favourite childrens homes in Tana relied on the regular income to see them over hardmes. At the heart of their work is the knowledge that a small amount of money can makell the difference and that conservation and poverty relief can go hand in hand. Many ofheir achievements are only possible due to their relatively small size and strong grasp ofhe complexity of the Malagasy culture.

hope that this booklet has helped you feel as inspired as I am by the selfless work done byMoney for Madagascar. The country engenders a special affection in so many people; if youant go there yourself, making a donation may be the next best thing. Check out the MfM

website to see how they are continuing to find small solutions for the big problems thatace Madagascar. They will ensure that not one penny of your donation is wasted.

We need your support to help us continue empowering

Malagasy people to protect their own environment andmprove their communities.lease visit our website and blog or write to us at the ad-ress below to find out more about:

Donating moneySponsoring a child or school

Alternative gifts

Volunteeringat home or abroadThank You!!

A final word from Money for Madagascar Patron, Hilary Bradt ,MBE

Money for Madagascar, Registered Charity No. 1001420

Address: Madagascar, Llwyncelyn Isaf, Llangadog SA19 9BY

mfm brochure 2011

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