Shining Success! How Solar Power can Spring-board a Child’s Education

A Simple Solar Panel Can Transform a Life!

Today I would like to share with you a true story of a woman with willpower and a little solar powered light. It is a story of how harnessing sunlight can help the most disadvantaged thrive.

Alone in the world, Josianne* was in her late teens and pregnant when she was rescued by Akany Avoko (a children’s home supported by Money for Madagascar). Though Josianne had no formal education, with guidance and support from the caring staff she flourished and grew into a lady with a hard-working attitude who wanted to give the most to her children. When the time came for Josianne to leave the home she was provided with a leaving pack including a small but efficient solar powered lamp.

Through Akany Avoko’s self-build programme she built her own home that initially consisted of 2 rooms built from mud-bricks with a clay tiled room, where she lived with her family. With the belief that an education would benefit her children’s future she sent them to school ‘paying’ for her daughters’ school fees by cleaning at the school one day a week.

In Madagascar, night falls at around 5.30pm and most rural homes have no lighting. Even paraffin or candle light is expensive as well as a strain on the eyes.  This can make it very difficult for children to complete their homework. However, the provision of that one solar-powered light allowed her children to complete their homework every night. In fact, they did so well at school that the youngest has now jumped ahead by 2 school years.  

“I didn’t get much chance to go to school. But I know education is so important. Soon my oldest daughter will take her Baccalaureate. I am so proud of her.”

In addition to her day job as a washer–woman, thanks to her light, Josianne was able  to do some craft production in the evenings to sell for extra income. This extra income eventually allowed her to add a second floor to her home, so she now lives in 2 rooms with her family and rents out 2 rooms. Now Josianne can feed, clothe and educate her family and put a sound roof over their head. This is a far cry from the destitution she knew as a young girl. “As a child I had nothing. I was homeless. Now my relatives turn to me for support! ” She told us with delight.

This little tale is a shining example of how a little off-grid solar light – a healthy, reliable and efficient alternative to kerosene lamps, or candles – combined with an ambitious young lady can change not only one person’s life, but can have ripples that have benefitted her family years later. Its little rays reached far out over the years!

With tonnes of sunlight in Madagascar, capturing it to benefit local communities is no brainteaser. Off-grid solar technology comes in all sorts of forms – including lamps, phone chargers and even refrigerators. Access to such products would allow rural communities with no connection to the national grid to prosper. As well as being safe, efficient and environmentally friendly energy sources, solar technology has positive impacts kick-starting social, health and economic development. Children can study safely, families can listen to the radio or watch TV for information or entertainment, farmers can receive mobile payments securely…the list goes on.

This year Money for Madagascar’s Education for Life programme will supply solar power to 34 rural primary schools enabling students to do homework and afterschool activities and also providing a much needed solar-charging service to enable parents to charge phones and solar lights. Currently thousands of children are withdrawn from school each year in Madagascar because their parents can’t afford to the pay contributions to the teacher’s modest salaries. We hope that this new solar initiative will not only support the students’ learning in school but will also raise income for each school, which can be channelled into paying teachers’ salaries. This would lift a huge financial burden from the shoulders of struggling parents meaning that children can stay in school to pursue their education.

If you feel inspired by what a simple solar panel can and you would like to help us to reach more needy people, then please contact us or donate to this project.

Thank you.

Rosemary Wilson

* (Josianne’s name has been changed to respect her privacy. The young lady in the photo is another beneficiary of our programme.) 

Madagascar: A World Apart!

We would like to alert you to Part 2 of a new 3 part series on BBC 4 called Nature’s Wonderlands: Islands of Evolution. 

Episode 2 titled “Madagascar: A World Apart” is scheduled for Monday 25^th January at 9pm. It examines how Madagascar is a natural laboratory of evolution and introduces the viewer to the amazing species that inhabit the island.

Our partner Association Mitsinjo is featured in the episode. They are involved in extending the forest corridor around Andasibe National Park.

More details from the BBC website  which highlights the following (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06yrgvr):

This series examines, “some of the crucial influences on natural selection that are normally overlooked - like geology, geography, isolation and time - the series reveals that there's much more to evolution than 'survival of the fittest'. Charting the lifecycle of islands - from their birth and colonisation to the flowering of evolutionary creativity that often accompanies their maturity, and what happens when an island grows old and nears its end - Fortey encounters wild lemurs in the rainforest of Madagascar, acid-resistant shrimps in the rock pools of Hawaii, and giant wolf spiders in Madeira as he searches for the hidden rules of island evolution.

In the second episode, Fortey travels to the rainforests of Madagascar - an ancient island that has spawned some of the most extraordinary groups of plants and animals anywhere in the world. From beautiful Indri lemurs, toxic frogs, and the cat-like giant mongoose called the fossa, to evolutionary oddities like the giraffe-necked weevil and the otherworldly aye-aye, he uncovers the secrets of the evolutionary niche - examining how, given millions of years, animals and plants can adapt to fill almost any opportunity they find.”

To find out more about the work that Association Mitsinjo does please visit: 
https://associationmitsinjo.wordpress.com/reforestation/

And to find out what we do in Madagascar and to see how you can get involved visit http://www.moneyformadagascar.org/. To make a donation to support our partners who are trying to protect forests and livelihoods in Madagascar, please visit http://moneyformadagascar.org/english/make-a-donation.asp

JANUARY SALE - 2016 CALENDAR ONLY £5!

In the 2016 calendar, Ed Kashi and Ailie Tam offer glimpses of a beautiful country where life continues to be hard (though not always miserable!) for those eking out a living against the odds of poverty, environmental change and global warming.

For UK customers, calendars are now reduced to only £5 (including p&p)!

Every purchase helps to support the work of our partners who are tackling many of the key issues facing Madagascar today including: extreme poverty, loss of bio-diversity, poor health, lack of food security and limited access to education.

To make an order please shop online at MfM SHOP

Thank you for your support!

Seasons Greetings!

Money for Madagascar and all its Partners working at the grassroots would like to wish you all 

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Miarahaba anao nahatratra ny Krismasy 2015. Mirary taona vaovao 2016 feno fiadanana. 

Thank you for your interest, support and encouragement.

Jane’s swim makes a BIG SPLASH in Madagascar…

Last July, one of our supporters Jane Lawrence swam a mile across Ullswater Lake (Lake District, UK) with the hope of raising enough money to install water facilities into a primary school in the Malagasy highlands. Jane raised an amazing £600!

As a result of Jane’s efforts and the kind donations of those supporting her, the children at Ambohidava Catholic Primary School now have access to a working tap which provides them with clean, safe water. 

Money for Madagascar’s ‘Education for Life’ Programme aims to provide clean water to schools, not only for drinking, but also to help them grow food in their own gardens. The dry season in Madagascar’s highlands means over 6 months without rainfall. Lack of water is a real challenge to anyone trying to supplement their diet by growing fruit and vegetables. 

Happily, the newly installed water facilities allow the school to irrigate their land which means the crops have a longer growing season, providing more important nutrition for hungry school children. This is exactly what Jane’s swim has done for Ambohidava Catholic Primary School. The school tells us that the kids are "happy to be drinking water and watering their crops. As well as vegetables and fruit, we also grow lemon grass and Comfrey . The lemongrass makes a nice tea to settle the stomach and is also good to keep the mosquitoes away. The Comfrey is great to eat like spinach and we can also make an insecticide from it to protect our crops.It even has medicinal properties too. We are very excited about our fruit trees. We keep watering them every day so that one day soon we can enjoy their fruit.”

To find out more about what we do and to see how you can get involved visit http://www.moneyformadagascar.org/. To make a donation and help us give more children access to clean water visit http://moneyformadagascar.org/english/make-a-donation.asp

by Gregg Smith

Wonderful Nature and Wonderful Work – An Evening with Rainbow Tours at the Royal Geographical Society in London

Irenee at the RGS Event

On Wednesday 25^th November, an eager audience at the Royal Geographical Society were taken on a tour of Madagascar. This was not an average tour but a blend of the beautiful and the beastly, fantasy and reality, and the good work going on to keep this wonderful country and its inhabitants better protected.

The main speakers of the event were Hilary Bradt, who wrote the first English-Language travel guide to Madagascar in 1986, and Irenee Rajaona-Horne, our very own director of Money for Madagascar.

Hilary Bradt

Hilary Bradt has gathered the outlook of a complete expert over her many years travelling to Madagascar, and both her talk – and her slideshow – were utterly enticing. We were shown nature’s most bizarre works, from the twig-nosed snake to the fingernail-sized Brookesia Chameleon. A lovely reminder at the end was Hilary exclaiming “I came to Madagascar for the wildlife, but it was the people who took my heart”.

Julian Cooke, Irenee, Micheline and Tabitha

Now 1986 was a very good year, because it was also the birth year of Money for Madagascar – an organisation that has worked relentlessly for almost 30 years to help the people of Madagascar to enjoy better livelihoods through supporting local NGOs and their inspiring initiatives. Recognising the interconnectedness of all aspects of life, Irenee’s speech centred around how MfM has specialised in helping the most vulnerable (those living in biodiversity hotspots, isolated villages, and destitute children in cities) to work with the environment around them to achieve true sustainability and well-being. Indeed, she mentioned a study they conducted over three years with 49 Malagasy families, whereby on average those who had been involved with MfM had doubled their income over the time period. The message had been made clear by the participants themselves, she quoted: “the work of Money for Madagascar is essential”.

Rainbow Tours

Irenee’s quick tour of the work of MfM was an encouraging addition to the evening, adding to the beauty and the wonders of Madagascar with a close-up on the pivotal work being done to help all of those in need. Thanks to Rainbow tours for hosting such an delightful and enlightening evening. 

To support the work of MfM with vulnerable children, communities in environmental hotspots and isolated rural communities please donate. Thank you!

Mark Robinson

Wonderful nature and Wonderful work – an Evening with Rainbow Tours at the Royal Geographical Society in London

On Wednesday 25^th November, an eager audience at the Royal Geographical Society were taken on a tour of Madagascar. This was not an average tour but a blend of the beautiful and the beastly, fantasy and reality, and the good work going on to keep this wonderful country and its inhabitants better protected.

The main speakers of the event were Hilary Bradt, who wrote the first English-Language travel guide to Madagascar in 1986, and Irenee Rajaona-Horne, our very own director of Money for Madagascar.

Hilary Bradt has gathered the outlook of a complete expert over her many years travelling to Madagascar, and both her talk – and her slideshow – were utterly enticing. We were shown nature’s most bizarre works, from the twig-nosed snake to the fingernail-sized Brookelia Chameleon. A lovely reminder at the end was Hilary exclaiming “I came to Madagascar for the wildlife, but it was the people who took my heart”.

Now 1986 was a very good year, because it was also the birth year of Money for Madagascar – an organisation that has worked relentlessly for almost 30 years to help the people of Madagascar to enjoy better livelihoods through supporting local NGOs and their inspiring initiatives. Recognising the interconnectedness of all aspects of life, Irenee’s speech centered around how MfM has specialised in helping the most vulnerable (those living in biodiversity hotspots, isolated villages, and destitute children in cities) to work with the environment around them to achieve true sustainability and well-being. Indeed, she mentioned a study they conducted over three years with 49 Malagasy families, whereby on average those who had been involved with MfM had doubled their income over the time period. The message had been made clear by the participants themselves, she quoted: “the work of Money for Madagascar is essential”.

Irenee’s quick tour of the work MfM do was an encouraging addition to the evening, adding to the beauty in the wonders of Madagascar with the pivotal work being done to help all of those in need. Thanks to Rainbow tours for hosting the event that pulled these two important messages together and opened several eyes!

by

Mark Robinson

MfM launches Education4Life programme in collaboration with Adsum!

Hands up for 'Education4Life'! 

MfM is excited to announce a collaboration with the Northern Irish foundation Adsum to deliver a joint programme to 34 rural schools over the next three years. The new 'Education4Life' programme aims to improve the life prospects of Madagascar's children by enabling them to access a decent education, providing them with the thinking skills and practical knowledge required to support themselves and cope with societal challenges ahead. 

The 'Education4Life' programme is designed to help communities overcome the major obstacles to educational success for Malagasy children : 

• Poor teaching from under-skilled and under-motivated teachers;
• Total lack of teaching materials and resources; 
• Hunger and consequent inability to concentrate or learn.
• Absence from school due to illness;
• Parental inability to pay school fees.

 Each participating school will benefit from:

• Quality teacher training.
• New teaching materials and a school resource library.
• Training in improved sustainable food production techniques to encourage food security and improved child nutrition.
• A new school kitchen garden providing food for school lunches and potentially a surplus to raise school funds.
• A worm composting unit to ensure soil quality and provide a source of school income.
• A new school canteen providing pupils with regular hot school meals made from garden produce.
• Solar panels providing electricity, light and a source of school income
• Improved sanitation facilities and the promotion of good hygiene practices.
• Activities to engage with parents and help them face the challenge of meeting school costs.

We are looking forward to seeing a huge improvement in the learning opportunities of children in communities with schools built by MfM and Adsum. Over the next few years 'Education4life'  will be equipping thousands of children to climb out of poverty .

Starting to think about Gifts for Christmas and New Year?

The MfM calendar, Christmas cards and alternative gifts are now available from our on-line shop on the MfM website http://moneyformadagascar.org/english/shop.asp

In the 2016 MfM calendar, Ed Kashi and Ailie Tam offer glimpses of a beautiful country where life continues to be hard (though with lighter moments!) for those eking out a living against the odds of poverty, environmental change and global warming.  

This year calendars cost just £7.50 each, inclusive of postage and packing.  All proceeds will be used to fund projects and local organisations addressing the serious environmental, social and economic challenges facing Madagascar.  

This year we have a choice of 2 seasonal greetings cards.

The  'cheeky street children' were photographed at one of our projects helping get children off the streets and into education. Every Christmas MfM tries to bring some extra joy to the street children of Tana by providing a special meal and a small gift to those in our reach.







 Christmas can be a time when we think about the story of a mother and her child. We chose this photo, taken at Akany Avoko Children's home, because we feel it reflects the seasonal story of the joy and the struggle of a mother bringing a child into the world.   

Cards cost £4.50 per pack for 10 cards + envelopes including UK postage.
Please visit our online shop MfM SHOP

Are you looking for a different gift this Christmas...

If you are fed up with giving or receiving yet more socks, toiletries or chocolates… you can bring the gift of joy for someone in Madagascar? It's simple really... visit our online shop and choose an 'Alternative Gift'  that like schooling, hotmeals or precious trees...something that is desperately needed in Madagsacar. Then you either buy it for your friend or you could ask your friend to buy an alternative gift for you. That way you can be sure this year’s Christmas present will be VERY much appreciated by you and your friends and especially by the people in Madagascar whom you have chosen to help. 

Just £7.50 could buy nutritious hot lunches for a street kid for a whole month. £5 could help plant 5 fruit trees in a school yard, providing food and shelter for hungry students for years to come.  

To make an order please shop online at MfM SHOP

Thanks for your support

What have Cakes got to do with Cyclone Chedza?

Lancaster was given an informative treat this May when the local primary school in Quernmore played host to Pastor Helivao, one of Money for Madagascar’s partners. This visit was so inspiring that the pupils and staff decided they would pop on their oven gloves and bake up some sweet treats!

But first, let’s go back a few steps.

In January Madagascar was hit by the deadly Cyclone Chedza, causing rivers to overflow and damage roads and crop fields. Just two days exposure to Chedza cost the country approximately $40 million (USD) in damage and displaced nearly 55,000 people. The government launched a request for international assistance due to the heavy damage.

Biscuits for Sale

Now international assistance can come in many forms – often from huge bilateral donations such as Japan’s contribution to supplies for the Malagasy people; and also from small community projects and events that raise money for inspiring causes. Having heard the stories of how Pastor Helivao’s organisation were helping the people affected by Cyclone Chedza, parents and teachers at the school in Quernmore contributed to the cyclone appeal.

Would you like to buy one?

And the kids began to muster up some scrumptious surprises for the cake and biscuit sale on Friday 17^th July, raising a whopping £300 to help continue Pastor Helivao’s relief efforts through Money for Madagascar. Year 6’s summer fete three days later pushed the total even higher. See the accompanying pictures for an insight into international assistance at the grassroots level!

Yummy!

 It goes without saying then that sharing stories from far apart regions of the world can visibly make a difference. Money for Madagascar helps these stories to spread from Pastor Helivao to others who are eager to help, who in turn create their own inspiring stories – cause-related cake sales - and the spiral continues. Running on generous donations from our supporters, Money for Madagascar can continue to raise awareness and money for these important projects that help to rebuild lives. 

To find out more about what we do visit http://www.moneyformadagascar.org and to make a donation to help the ongoing efforts of our partners please follow this link:

http://moneyformadagascar.org/english/make-a-donation.asp

by

Mark Robinson