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. 

Gwin Dylanwad Wine and Pair a Privy

One of our regular supporters, Dylan Rowlands has recently celebrated his 60th birthday! Dylan's 60th birthday marks a century since his great grandfather, Thomas Rowlands, died. Thomas spent over 50 years working in Madagascar helping local Malagasy and wrote books about his experiences.

Dylan owns a cellar shop, café and bar in Wales. The wine shop has wines sourced from across the globe, with only the highest quality of wines chosen.


In memory of his great grandfather and as a support to Money for Madagascar (MfM), Dylan has themed the front of his shop around our Pair a Privy appeal which involves raising funds to purchase a lifesaving toilet block for an isolated school in Madagascar.

We thank Dylan for his generosity and look forward to seeing what he will achieve with his fundraising.


If any MfM supports are in the area, why not try out Dylan's fine wines and lovely food.














Dylan's website

Pair a Privy Appeal

NY AKO Concert in Lancaster – 14th June 2018

Money for Madagascar (MFM) is hosting the wonderful and amazingly talented NY AKO group on 14^th June 2018 at Lancaster Methodist Church, Scotforth Rd. Lancaster LA1 4TE at 7:30pm.

This family-friendly event will feature traditional Malagasy music and dance from around the Island. There is a suggested donation of £10 at the door (£5 for concessions) with donations going to our partners and projects across Madagascar, which support some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

Madagascar is a beautiful country with amazing people but it also one of the poorest in the world today with many facing water and food shortages, as well as poor education. This immense poverty also puts pressure on Madagascar’s beautiful and unique environment and this is why funding these projects through is so vital. Our projects support the Malagasy people in their day-to-day lives helping to reduce poverty, improve education, and also preserve and protect Madagascar’s beautiful and unique environment.

Madagascar also supports projects, which help the Malagasy people start their own businesses. Less than 20% of the population in Madagascar are in formal employment and so we work with partners who offer training, small grants, tools and materials, which help thousands of poor Malagasy start their income generating enterprises. By attending the Ny Ako performance you can actively help the Malagasy people!

For more information about our projects visit https://moneyformadagascar.org/ or to make a donation visit https://moneyformadagascar.org/make-a-donation/

Thank you

Written by John Garman

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

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/

Stories from Madagascar: Patricia's Story.

Today, 16th June, is the Day of the African Child. In order to mark this day we are launching a new series of blog articles, "Stories from Madagascar," to show the impact your donations have had on people and communities in Madagascar. Fitting with the today's theme of the African Child, we look at the story of 12 year old Patricia and how the work of our partners can help young women like Patricia.

Patricia's Story

12 year old Patricia lives with her mother and brother on the edge of the capital city, Antananarivo. She is a bright young girl who loves learning. Sadly, as is the case for so many Malagasy children, when she reached secondary age she had to stop going to school because her mother could no longer afford to send her. To help keep her younger brother in primary school, she began working, helping her mother to fetch bricks during the brick making season. Patricia felt lost and hopeless. She felt her future closing in.

One day she heard about the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, and the activities that they were providing to help young girls like her develop new skills and gain employment. Determined to grasp this chance for a brighter future, she made the long walk to the city centre to find out whether she could join the scheme. To her joy, there was still space on the training programme at Centre Fihavana, where the sisters are based. Undeterred by the long walk, she now attends daily classes, and is learning how to make clothes herself as well as doing a bit of studying; including learning about Information Technology and how computers work. The sisters also offer coaching and counselling to help her deal with the difficulties of working life.

Patricia says, “I no longer feel hopeless. My life has turned around, because of the Sisters . With the skills I’ve developed, I hope to become a dressmaker. Now I believe that my dream of having a bright future will come true one day.”