ONE WEEK TO GO: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

At around this hour in only six days time, I will be leaving home, back packs on front and back and dragging another 20kg bag with wheels through the streets of Reading.  My packing skills are not quite as bad as they sound as the last bag is to assist Azafady in getting essential equipment to Madagascar.  Fortunately it is not too long a walk to the bus, and then it is a direct trip to the airport.

As I spent five of the last seven days in Germany, I cannot claim to have done much in the way of preparations in the past week.  But I did manage to:

• Go to the dentist.  I won’t commit to writing how long it had been between visits, but no dramas are anticipated teeth-wise in the next three months and I have now added floss to the “to pack” list.
• Conduct various successful patch tests on myself - 50% DEET mozzie spray is fine by me and even a few of the band aids seem to be okay.
• Drag out a camping lamp and sleeping mat (eek, it’s bigger than I remembered) from under the stairs, where I also found my thongs (flip flops for those in the UK) which was just as well since I have been looking in the shops and there are none on the shelves.

I was also delighted that my various mail order goods fit through the letter slot and were waiting for me on my return. 

It has been a bit chilly (icy when the wind is up) in both the UK and Germany, so I am pleased to report that the current temperature in Fort Dauphin is in the 20s, day and night.  Bring on summer!  And on that note, I must go and chase up those adventure sandals…

TWO WEEKS TO GO: ALMOST READY

Firstly a big thank you from me (and the lemurs) to everyone who has donated and/or shared a link to this blog. 

Details of my preparations for this adventure aside, I hope that you have learnt something new about Madagascar and Azafady, for example, that most of the Malagasy people rely on subsistence slash and burn agriculture, which involves clearance of remaining forest (already down to around 10%) to plant crops. Azafady works closely with communities helping them with income generation activities and to manage their resources in a sustainable manner.

I am feeling surprisingly organised.  I have had the last of my vaccinations, and there is now a very big pile of stuff I have set aside, including my many prescription medicines and an enormous pile of over the counter tablets and creams.  Just out of interest I weighed these with my toiletries.  It came in at a bit over 4kg and the collection is not quite complete…  There are a few other bits and pieces I have ordered online and in store so fingers crossed these arrive on time, especially the adventure sandals and spare camera batteries – living without electricity poses a small dilemma in this digital age and I would hate to miss the perfect lemur snap.

THREE WEEKS TO GO: CAMPING AND KINDLING

Now is the time to donate if you have not yet gotten around to it, as I only have around 24 hours to go to reach my fundraising target.

To read more about the wonderful lemurs and the threats they are facing, see this article published today by the BBC.  It is a very sad tale with no simple solution: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16138206

On a lighter note, Azafady has posted some great pictures sent in by former volunteers: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150415149378603.362616.18672113602&type=3

I have now bought a tent which I hope will be storm resistant, and also well ventilated (I am trying to be optimistic here, but suspect it will go one way or the other).  According to online reviews, the tent can be set up in 3 minutes by even a novice camper.  I didn't want to get the tent wet and dirty by pitching it outside - I'm sure plenty of water and dirt will be headed its way soon enough - so I tried to test this assertion by erecting the tent in the spare bedroom .  It was not a successful mission as the bedroom was too small for the poles, but all the same, I suspect it is going to be more than a 3 minute job for me.

In preparation for long flights (and I am hoping there will be some down time in Madagascar), I have loaded up my Kindle with books from BBC’s top 100 list, and as it is likely I will find a good few of those hard going, books 1 and 2 from the Game of Thrones series.

I feel that I made some good progress this week in my pre-trip preparations, which is probably just as well since I fly out in just three weeks time. 

FOUR WEEKS TO GO: LAST CHANCE TO DONATE

There is only one week to go to reach my fundraising target of £2,000 (by 16 December), so if you have not yet donated your pennies or cents or spammed your contacts with a link to this blog, please do so now.  If I have not given you enough reasons already, here is a bit more about where your money will go.

In Madagascar, 1 in 10 children die before the age of 5 as a result of what are largely preventable diseases such as cholera.  In rural areas 71% of people have no access to safe drinking water.

Through Azafady’s work last year alone it: 

• gave access to clean drinking water to approximately 4,000 people by building wells
• gave access to basic health care to at least 10,000 people
• planted thousands of trees 
• assisted in the creation of numerous gardens and small income generating industries in over 5 villages.

In the past week, I had two more needles, one in each arm. So I ended up with two sore arms and no lollipop.  I did however get my prescription for anti-malarial tablets.  Faced with the unattractive options of: 1) blistering in the sun; 2) risking a psychotic episode (which granted should it happen, would probably bother those around me rather than the psychotic version of me); 3) paying £2.28 per day for tablets; I went with option 3 as it would seem money can buy health.  It is not lost on me that one malaria tablet will cost more than the food I will consume during my average day in Madagascar.

I have also started packing (setting aside may be the more correct term).  Stock cubes, head torch, journal – check.  The big item I am missing is a tent.  I had better go and make some progress on that front…

FIVE WEEKS TO GO: MY ITINERARY

There is less than two weeks to go to reach my fundraising target so please donate your moolah and/or your contact list.  For those in or around Reading I have a bit of spare time so I could walk your dog, clean your car or partake in a bit of gardening or painting in exchange for a donation – make me an offer!

This has been a big week.  I had the first of my 5 jabs on Monday, and can’t wait to get another two Monday coming.  The very exciting news is that I received my draft itinerary.  I will be spending a few days helping out at the Azafady Tree nursery with the ex-situ conservation of critically endangered plant species.  Later in the program I will be spending a week or so working with the community of Mahialambo to make stoves from clay and zebu poo.  These stoves are really important as when compared with open stoves there is a reduced fire risk and being more fuel efficient, less fuel (wood) is needed which protects the forests.  See these links for more information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc6YTVz3_uw, http://azafady.us/blog/?p=693

But the project most of my time will go to is the completion of a school in the rural commune of Mahatalaky.  There is an obvious need for education facilities in both rural and urban areas of Madagascar. In the Mahatalaky and Labako communes combined there is only one middle school (Mahatalaky CEG) serving 26 primary schools. At this moment in time, Mahatalaky CEG has no premises of its own and so the local community approached Azafady NGO to help them build four school buildings, a latrine and a well to provide safe drinking water.

The CEG has four year groups with students typically ranging from 11 to 15 years old, however often the year groups can be mixed with ages from 10 to18 due to many people starting education late because of other commitments such as helping family businesses.

My job will be to help build one school building with two rooms in Mahatalaky. This will be the final building in the year long project to build the new CEG and it is expected that my group will have the honour and privilege of being in Mahatalaky when the CEG is handed over to the community.  I get a bit teary just thinking about it, so expect I will be a right mess on the day.  I’ll let you know.

SIX WEEKS TO GO: HOW MUCH CAN ONE GET IN ONE'S BACKPACK?

In the past week, I have read my survival guide from front to back and I am starting to get down to the nitty gritty and thinking about what to take to Madagascar.  I have a list (one of many) and it is very, very long.  I am not sure how on earth the listed items will all fit into one backpack, let alone when you factor in a few kilos of kit Azafady needs to get down to Fort Dauphin.

I was given a journal for Christmas by my parents and have started writing in the important things: blood type, travel insurance details, emergency contacts…  I have also got in touch with my fellow Pioneers, so it is all getting quite real and exciting.

                                                                                                                                   

The population in Madagascar is 19.1 million, and is projected to double every 15-20 years.  This links back directly to the people's abject poverty.  Madagascar’s national debt is $2.054 billion. Although a considerable amount (roughly 50%) of Madagascar's debt has been written off since 2004, prevailing debt repayments of more than $50 million a year mean that only very small amounts of government funds are channelled into health and education spending.

Hence, organisations such as the World Bank and IMF are relying on organisations such as Azafady to provide health care and education. Unfortunately many of the larger charities, such as War on Want, Christian Aid and Oxfam do not work in Madagascar.

Your donation will be put to good use, so please give what you can spare and spread the message by sharing this blog with your contacts.

SEVEN WEEKS TO GO: INSURANCE, DOCTORS AND DFAT

The deadline for raising my minimum donation has been confirmed as 16 December, so if you have been meaning to make a donation, now is the time.  For those in or around Reading, I will also be selling raffle tickets and have some really cute Christmas cards – featuring lemurs! – that could be exchanged for a donation.

In the past week, I:

• sorted my travel insurance;
• got around to making an appointment with a travel doctor which I realize, in hindsight, should have been the first thing I did.  Whoops.  I have also been pricing the malaria prophylaxis and all I can say is I wish I was selling it.  My goodness;
• registered with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  Granted it has been 4 years since I left Australia, but as they say, better late than never and given I will be in Madagascar during cyclone season, it seemed timely.

 The island is regularly hit by the same cyclones that hit Mozambique but it never gets the same media attention. 

Madagascar has suffered around 90% deforestation (estimated by Conservation International) and tragically, the majority of the island’s unique plants and animals are forest dependent and therefore greatly affected.

Azafady has been voted president for the Regional Committee of the Environment in

Madagascar, advising the government on matters of environmental consequence for an

area the size of England.

If you would like to learn more about Azafady and the Pioneer program, follow this link and watch a video or two: http://www.youtube.com/user/AzafadyMadagascar

EIGHT WEEKS TO GO: FOOD AND FITNESS

The fundraising pot continues to move in the right direction (up), so keep those monies rolling in.  If you are wondering where the money is going, I’ll be covering the cost of my flights, insurance, immunizations, visa and so on.  I will also be taking my own tent which will be my home for the majority of my time in Madagascar.

Currently Azafady as a charity spends about 90% of its total income in pursuit of its charitable aims. Only a very low 10% goes on administration costs.  Presently 100% of Pioneers' donations go straight out to Madagascar to run both the organisation and the projects of which I will be a part.  Roughly 10% will be used to cover project costs such as food and transport, so that equates to about £200, or less than £3 a day during my time as a Pioneer.  

I have been forewarned that the menu will consist of rice and beans, rice and beans, rice and beans and so on.  My parents who know that I love my food and dining out (even if they cannot quite understand the level of my devotion) do have some concerns about how I will cope.  I on the other hand look at it as enforced dieting to lose the stone I have gained in the UK – a work hazard from spending the last 18 months or so tied to a desk with a never ending bounty of biscuits within arm’s reach.

I have also been ramping up my gym attendance (from nil to twice a week – I have to start somewhere) to ensure I am fit enough to do whatever is required in Madagascar, be it planting trees, building schools, solving health and sanitation issues and working with the local communities to tackle problems they have brought to Azafady’s attention.  I suspect the whole experience will be like boot camp, and I will be much fitter when my time as a Pioneer is over.

It ain't going to be easy, but it will be worth it to do my bit for Madagascar. There are more orchids on the island than on the whole continent of Africa and 5 of the 6 sea turtle species in the world are found in its waters.

NINE WEEKS TO GO: MY FLIGHTS ARE BOOKED

My first week of fundraising has gone really well with £510 raised (just over 25% of my target) so a huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far.  For everyone else, remember every penny (or cent) counts so please get cracking by clicking on that link to the right.  Profile raising is every bit as important as fundraising, so if you are not in a position to donate money, please think about donating your contacts by emailing the URL for this blog to everyone you know, or by sharing this blog on your Facebook page.

You can be confident your donation will be put to good use.

Azafady has received endorsements from both Sir David Attenborough and The Duke Primate Institute for its efforts in the field of conservation. It has also received a Whitley Foundation award for human rights and conservation, given to it by HRH Princess Anne.

Madagascar is a special place, an island twice the size of Britain and the only natural home of lemurs and the rosy periwinkle (an effective cure for childhood leukaemia).  Who knows what else is still to be discovered…

I am certainly looking forward so seeing a few of those lemurs in their natural habitat and have had a busy week booking my flights and raiding the last of the camping store sales racks for cotton shirts and “mosquito resistant” clothing – although I am curious to see how a knee length dress will stop the mozzies feasting on my delicious ankles.  I am seriously considering wearing hiking boots and knee high socks for the full duration of my three month stay.

In the past week, I was also delighted to say hello to November and good bye to Ocsober!  This was celebrated in a surprisingly civilized manner by a drink at my local (I had to have a Guinness as shockingly it was out of real ale) followed by some lovely white wine and a meal at Loch Fyne.

I have also started a “to do” list of all items I need to buy and things I need to do in the next nine weeks.  It is shaping up to be a very long list so I had better get back to it.

10 WEEKS TO GO: GETTING READY TO MARVEL AT MADAGASCAR

On 2 January 2012 (or thereabouts) I will be headed for the magical island of Madagascar, situated off the southeast coast of Africa, to take part in a 10 week charity expedition. 

I have secured one of a limited number of places on four annual Pioneer schemes run by the charity Azafady. Azafady runs projects in rural southeast Madagascar supporting environmental, humanitarian and sustainable development projects.  As part of the scheme, I need to raise a minimum donation of £2,000. This goes directly to support Azafady’s work, with only a tiny proportion covering my food, training and travel whilst in Madagascar.

I have just purchased the Bradt guide to Madagascar and must admit it was probably a mistake to read the Health and Safety section first.  In my time in Madagascar I must watch out for:

·          mosquitoes (of the malarial variety in particular)

·          furry looking plants and caterpillars

·          tapeworm (apparently if I pass a worm, “this is alarming, but treatment can wait”)

·          sunburn and prickly heat

·          rabid animals

·          infections and tropical ulcers

·          venomous fish/sea urchin spines on the ocean floor

·          jiggers (parasitic fleas that burrow within the skin leaving a hole through which they will periodically release an egg)

·          thieves  

Eek!

If my participation in this expedition is in itself not enough to convince you to part with your hard-earned cash, I have also challenged myself to my own version of Ocsober.  As I couldn’t possibly be expected to abstain from booze in the Netherlands, I started Ocsober on 27 September and will finish on 31 October, carving out the three days abroad.  As a lover of real ale and night life generally, this has been a real hardship for me: missing out on a pint in the old smugglers’ inns of Poole, being limited to fizzy water while enjoying the views at Bournemouth on the one and only gorgeous weekend this year, spending Friday nights washing the dishes and doing laundry and discovering why diet soft drinks exist (because drinking tap water in a pub – even when it is fine Thames Water water – is depressing).   But it is all worth it for this great cause.

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and is home to an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals, over 80 per cent of which can be found nowhere else on earth. Although it is biologically one of the richest places in the world, its inhabitants are amongst the very poorest.

As a Pioneer, I will be living and working alongside remote village communities helping them to build a

better future for themselves. The kinds of projects Pioneers become involved with include:

·          building wells to provide clean water, protecting villagers from the spread of cholera

·          establishing community market gardens and beehives to improve nutrition and provide villagers with alternative incomes

·          building schools to provide children with access to education who previously had none

·          planting trees in areas of deforested land.

I saw an ad for Azafady earlier this year and have given much thought to this opportunity.  It will be a challenge – not a few hours a day of basket weaving as Azafady points out in its brochure – and I’ve only 10 weeks to prepare for it.