Lanes Vets backing MfM's Rainforest farmers

We thank the Lanes Vets for choosing to back Money for Madagascar as their charity of the year for 2020. It is wonderful to have their recognition in support of our work with vulnerable farmers in Madagascar. 

Fundraising efforts will support subsistence farmers living around Madagascar's fragile rainforest.  The forest people in Betampona used to survive by chopping down the rainforest and hunting lemurs. When forest people learn sustainable farming methods they can feed their families whilst also preserving the endangered rainforest. Small grants provide veterinary care such as vaccinations to support forest farmers.  Training and support are vital to help people to help themselves. This project will help lift vulnerable people out of poverty , whilst also helping conserve Madagascar’s unique Betampona Rainforest

To find out more click here , or for ideas for how you can fundraise for this project click here. 

Benjamin's Lemur Bounce!

Money for Madagascar (MFM) would like to say a huge thank you to Benjamin and his classmates who have raised an incredible £1060.53 so far which will be used to help replenish the decreasing rainforest and lemur habitats in Madagascar. Benjamin and his classmates bounced like the lemurs of Madagascar non-stop for 30 minutes, all to aid the vital projects which MFM supports!

Due to the extreme poverty in Madagascar, huge amounts of pressure are placed on its beautiful and unique environment resulting in mass deforestation which in turns puts unique flora and fauna (80% of which is found only in Madagascar) at risk of extinction. This in turn puts mass pressure on Madagascar’s unique species, including Lemurs, who struggle to survive in smaller and smaller forests.

Many of the poorest who live on the rainforest margins in Madagascar struggle to find enough land to grow the food that they need to survive. This land degradation means they are forced to clear the rainforest to grow food and produce to feed themselves, resulting in severe impacts on the lemurs and other native species. It is hard for the Malagasy people to consider the consequences of their actions when they are trying to feed their families. 

This is why our projects are so vital, our partners work with those who live in areas affected by land degradation and provide them with training and resources to sustainably grow vegetables, rice, and fruit trees resulting in less pressure on the Malagasy rainforests and also the Lemurs! By providing agricultural training, environmental education, tools, seeds, livestock, small grants and technical support, we have helped thousands of villagers to improve their quality of life, whilst also protecting the rainforests. We also help by planting and sustaining new forests. For example, we work with our partner Mitsinjo who are planting precious wildlife corridors to help preserve the distinctive flora and fauna around Madagascar’s Andasibe National Park - https://associationmitsinjo.wordpress.com/

MFM would like to say a massive thank you to Benjamin and his classmates for their incredible fundraising efforts and for all the jumping! Their willingness to help those in need is inspiring and will so greatly benefit the Malagasy people and their environment!

Well done!

It costs only £3 to plant and sustain an indigenous rainforest tree so why not show your support for Benjamin and his classmates by making a donation here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/help-madagascarlemurs

To find out more about our projects protecting Madagascar’s environment visit: www.moneyformadagascar.org

Written by John Garman

Hip Hip Hurrah for Harry Cassie and his family and friends!

We are very pleased to highlight the generous support of three generations of the Cassie family to Money for Madagascar (MfM). Harry Cassie along with his friends and family are currently raising money to fund projects on the island of Madagascar.

This remarkable family has been involved with Madagascar since the 1960s when Harry’s grandfather Stuart Cassie was working as a volunteer teacher in Madagascar. The photo below is of him at a reunion with people he had taught when he was volunteering. Both of these former students are now teachers!

Stuart Cassie with his former students

After he retired, Stuart was deeply involved with MfM as the treasurer from 2002 to 2013. His son Alastair went on to volunteer in Madagascar during his gap year. The latest person to support MfM is Alastair’s son Harry.

Harry has set up a Just Giving page to raise funds for MfM as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award. In his own words:

“Madagascar is 1000 miles long and it seemed like an appropriate target to match with my goal of raising £1000. With this sum the charity can provide and install a water well for a school in a rural community, raise more we can give the tools and seeds to plant fruit and vegetable gardens, the opportunities are endless. As part of my updates I'll be highlighting different projects that Money for Madagascar is involved in as well as my own progress and that of others participating.

So over the past few months I've been getting some miles under my belt, and am now launching my campaign for sponsorship.  I have completed 68/1000 miles since the start of December. Time to get moving a lot more!

How can you help ?

1/ Sponsor to achieve the £1000 target (e.g. 1p per mile is just £10!)

2 / Donate miles* - donate some personal miles that you can achieve through walking / running / cycling swimming before 1/7/2018 and we'll get to our 1000 mile target quicker...Together we can reach more people and raise awareness of the plight of Madagascar and the invaluable work that Money for Madagascar charity does.

* If donating miles please keep a record of how you've achieved your miles, ideally with evidence from either a written log / fitbit / phoneapp”

We wish Harry and his friends and family all the very best and thank them for supporting the work of MfM. This fundraising effort is also a wonderful tribute to his grandfather Stuart Cassie.

Please click on the link below, if you would like to see Harry achieve his target!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harry-cassie

many thanks

Sunita Abraham

Water, water everywhere……well, not in Madagascar.

In Europe, it is difficult to imagine much time without rain – it is just part of our lives. Thousands of miles away in Madagascar though, water can be ‘harder to come by’, and can sometimes be a luxury. Parts of Madagascar are currently suffering from severe drought, particularly in the south – at times like this, they really need help.

Families must make long journeys to collect water because of the drought currently affecting the country

It is thought that the El Nino weather system has decreased the rainy season in Madagascar by one or two months. With the drought, basic needs are increasingly difficult to find. Lakes have become puddles, crops have decreased severely and malnutrition, particularly amongst children, is worryingly high. The droughts have changed the very way in which people live. Families must now wake early and make long distance trips to collect water, bathe and wash clothes, as there is no ‘oasis’ near them – but they must find water somehow.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, yet people are having to use what money they have to buy water cans. In a country where 92% of people live on less than a couple of pounds a day, having to then use this just to get water is shocking. but a price they must pay.

The drought exacerbates other issues which affect Madagascar, such as abject poverty. 

This problem adds to a list of issues which Madagascar must face – such as poor infrastructure, a struggling health system and lack of access to education. It is at times like this that we can really make a difference and improve lives. MFM has a strong track record of responding to natural issues such as droughts, using our partners ‘on the ground’ to get what is needed to those who need it most. Subsequently, MFM has played an influential part, for instance by installing easily accessible wells in some of the more remote areas.

If you would like to make a difference and change the lives of those in need, please consider making a donation at    https://moneyformadagascar.org/ Thank you.

Main source - https://www.buzzfeed.com/tamerragriffin/this-is-what-its-like-when-your-country-runs-out-of-water?utm_term=.rek99OlZk#.xukMMAWLm

By Matthew Ward

Ed’s Scandinavian Hike

Money for Madagascar supporter Ed Ford is hiking across Scandinavia to raise money for Money for Madagascar. Ed spent three months teaching English as a Foreign Language in Nosy Be, during which time he described himself as feeling “as part of such a warm and welcoming community.”

The Malagasy are some of the poorest people in the world, and Ed says he would “love to give something back.” Therefore, he is embarking on a trek along the Troms border trail to raise money to help Madagascan communities. The Trom’s border trail is an 85-mile trek across three countries: Norway, Sweden and Finland, well above the arctic circle. This nine-day trek will past through inhospitable climates, remote and rugged terrain, and risk encounter with dangerous wildlife including bears and wolves. 

 

Ed describes how this expedition will push him “to the limit,” and has set a target of raising £600 for Money for Madagascar to help Malagasy communities and conservation efforts. Donations are being accepted via JustGiving, where it is also possible to find out more about Ed’s challenge.

For more information about the work of Money for Madagascar to help impoverished communities and conservation efforts, visit https://moneyformadagascar.org/