Author: Emily Borth
12 February 2018

Cyclone Enawo slammed into the northeast coast of Madagascar on the 7th of March 2017 with the power of a category four hurricane, boasting wind gusts up to 270 kilometers per hour. ¹ Situated on the northwestern side of Madagascar, the island of Nosy Be was spared the brunt of the storm’s strength. None the less, winds picked up as the weakened cyclone approached and growing storm swell assaulted the shoreline relentlessly. For the small village of Marodoku on Nosy Be, Cyclone Enawo meant they lost a classroom, decimated by the power of the wind and water.

Before the storm, the tiny campus of EPP Ambanoro in Marodoku village consisted of four classrooms used to teach around 200 children who range in age from 3 all the way to 14 years old. Losing the classroom meant that two already full classes had to combine into one even larger class. Today with standing room only, the small room bursts at the seams unable to fit enough desks and chairs to seat the students in attendance. And the numbers aren’t the only problem.

The students are at two very different levels in their studies. This is where we meet Fazila and Shaima, two sisters who attend class here. Shaima, the older of the two, excels in her studies and just last week earned student of the week for her hard work and dedication. Despite her more advanced level, she and her sister Fazila now attend the same class with the same lessons. Though she is happy to mentor her sister, for Shaima, many of the lessons are repeats of material she has already mastered.

But not for much longer. Thanks to the hard work and fundraising efforts of Marodoku village, MRCI and our volunteers, construction of a brand-new classroom is almost complete. One MRCI volunteer, Joshua Damen in conjunction with Kimberley College in Australia, raised over $3,900 USD for this project. Back in November, MRCI founder David Bird along with our Community Coordinator Rojo Razafisalama Andofinoana and our Director of Operations Emily Borth, all met with Marodoka Village President, Hassane along with the school’s Head Mistress, Francoise.

Together, we planned out logistics of the new classroom including location and design. We opted to hire a specialist from within the village to oversee construction. Who better to look after the school than one of the parents, Wawa, a 43-year-old life-long resident of Marodoka whose 8-year-old son attends classes there. Today, his assistant Jacks helps paint the newly constructed classroom walls. Jacks hopes to one day become a construction specialist and builder himself. He learns by doing and watches Wawa closely, always eager to jump in on more technical tasks.

Parents check in daily on the progress of the new classroom. Through a translator, the villagers tell us they have never seen a “vazaha” (foreigner) working with the cement and helping with construction. “They are here for holiday, but they are helping build. It sets a good example.” Shaima, for her part, wants to do everything she can to make sure she gets into secondary school. In this region of Madagascar, at around 14 or 15 years old, students take an entrance exam to get accepted into a secondary school in the larger neighboring city of Hellville. She beams with excitement at the prospect of restarting advanced classes.

1. “Strongest cyclone in 13 years hits Madagascar.” AlJazeera.com. Al Jazeera Media Network, 06 Mar. 2017. Accessed 10 Feb. 2018.

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MRCI & Learn Achieve Become Partner For a Great Cause

MRCI teamed up with Learn Achieve Become to put on an event focused on women’s rights. Open to all genders and English levels, we raised money in order to transport people from the island of Nosy Komba to the event space, where around 100 people came out to discuss gender equality.

Topics ranged from defining sexism to the importance of education in today’s society. Participation from all different types of people in the community were encouraged, and some of our volunteers shared personal experiences.

While the event brought to light the disparities present between men and women globally, it had a positive focus, in order to help everyone understand the importance of equality and how equal participation between the genders betters the world we live in. Members of the audience enjoyed participating and explaining their views, especially at the end where we had a writing activity asking participants why they believed sexism was good or bad.

This event allowed us to celebrate a wide range of views while simultaneously celebrating the importance of both genders. And it was wonderful having a group of people from both Nosy Be and Nosy Komba accompany us to the event.

One of the coolest things about Nosy Komba is the absence of motorized vehicles. Although this makes for some of the most quiet and peaceful star gazing nights, it means that locals must travel by foot. Although there are some paths, the terrain can be quite challenging, going over barnacle covered rocks and up into the jungle. Traveling to and from work with supplies and gear needed for the day can be tough, especially when the tide is high. Toss in the rainy season and it can be nearly impassible in certain locations.

One of our previous forest conservation volunteers conducted some research on the impact the Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute (MRCI) has on social behaviour towards conservation for her university degree.  She asked all volunteers to complete a questionnaire when starting and ending their program.  The questions focused on commitment to the environment and respect for nature.  Overall, she found that volunteers showed more commitment to the environment in terms of water conservation, littering and respect on leaving after their volunteer stay, when compared to arriving.

This shows the impact that organisations such as MRCI have on volunteers, allowing them to experience living a more simple life first hand and seeing the impact of littering and degradation on the environment.  This change of attitude and behaviour towards the environment can have a lasting impact on volunteers and hopefully result in positive, sustainable change in their lives back home.

Along with the conservation work we do on the ground in Madagascar, we aim to promote positive behaviour changes that reach around the world and contribute to a more sustainable future.

We are very grateful to Sandra Ellerkamp for completing this research and allowing us to share a summary, see below:

Impact of MRCI on commitment to the environment

If you would like to find out how you can join one of our conservation programs, contact us or sign up today!