Did you enjoy your volunteering
experience?
"Yes, very much. I would recommend it to
friends interested in doing the same thing.
Madagascar is a wonderful place."
Karen Hedges, January 2003
Please note
that this is an example only, and not every scheme will
follow exactly the same itinerary:
Arrive
in Fort Dauphin and Orientation stage: (7 days)
Coordinators from the projects give an introduction
on the work they do and the projects that the Pioneer
volunteers will be working on. Pioneers are also given
full information on the 'dos' and 'don'ts' of being
in rural and remote villages and advice on the needs
for cultural sensitivity in the areas in which we work.
Volunteers start lessons in Malagasy language. A visit
to Nahampoana Reserve is arranged where volunteers will
be able to have close encounters with several species
of lemur.
Lanirano: (Turnaround 3-4 days in-between trips
to the bush)
Just outside town, Lanirano is the home for Pioneers
whilst in the Fort Dauphin area, as well as being a
demonstration site for many of the projects going on
in the villages. During this time Pioneers work on various
expanding projects, e.g. ethnobotanical work and the
preparation of the demonstration and training site for
all of our livelihood strategy activities, such as bee
and bird keeping, fish farming, fruit and vegetable
growing, our tree nursery, improved rice growing techniques,
solar fruit drying, etc.
Sustainable Livelihoods Initiative: (10 days)
Tree planting in Mahatalaky. Pioneers work alongside
the local people to plant trees suitable for fruit,
fuel, building and medicinal purposes.
To the isolated rainforest village of Andramanaka. Work
on building benches and desks for a school as well as
conducting a health survey to determine how much the
recently built well and pharmacy have been utilised.
Health and Sanitation Initiative: (10 days)
Staying in Ambinanibe, volunteers assist the construction
team to build a well. Volunteers also put on a range
of activities to promote health education to the local
women and children, including puppet shows & songs.
Sainte Luce integrated conservation and development
project: (3 weeks)
Volunteers help in a wide range of activities supporting
the community's forest management plan, including:
endangered plant seed collection
establishing endangered
tree nurseries
gathering GPS coordinates
of forest boundaries
working with the local forest
guardians
assisting with the study
of palms/ birds/ lemurs
facilitating income-generating
projects
Return
to Fort Dauphin: (3 days)
Writing up project work, time for shopping and a final
visit to the beach before departure.
Depending
on the time of year, the Pioneer itinerary varies, but
all schemes assist on a variety of conservation and
development projects run by Azafady NGO.
