Planting 15000 trees in Madagascar

The Challenge:

Zahana works currently in 4 villages that have a formal relationship with us.  Additionally, 2 more villages are associated with us and involved in carrying out certain activities such as running a tree nursery, soap making or improved cookstoves.

During this lean season (époque dure, the time between the end of the year and the next rice harvest), everyone is suffering from malnutrition, also in our villages. Zahana is trying, thanks to the support of its partners, to contribute according to its possibilities.

A mini-workshop in the town of Tsiroanomandidy was organized by Zahana. Representatives from each of the four villages attended and participated in our mini-workshop to analyze the situation together and seek out solutions to this persistent systemic problem within our reach.

Learning basic knowledge about nutrition was part of the workshop. It has been highlighted by the presenters that many foods could be an alternative to or possible replace rice. (Background: Rice is culturally the foundation of any meal in Madagascar, please see our website). It is time to diversify our diet. We were seeking solutions that would foster solidarity at the community level and help find pragmatic and workable solutions that can be implemented immediately.

The participants are aware that most people, being poor, face difficulties during the lean season in their own, and all surrounding villages.

The Solution: Friday Village Soup

After discussing it was decided by mutual agreement to organize the “Friday Village Soup (FVS)” or “Lasopy Zoma an-tanana” in Malagasy (lasopy = soup; zoma = Friday; village = tanana).

Thus, a day of soup reserved for malnourished children but also elderly people in difficulty in their community will be organized every Friday, hence the name “Friday Village Soup” (FVS).

Surveys carried out by the Local Leaders Committee and current support received by ZAHANA from GlobalGiving have identified the following needs:

• Analakely: 50 (poor children and elderly people): 4 x 5-kilo bags of macaroni pasta per month
• Fiadanana 188 (children and elderly):  12 bags per month
• Fiarenana 72 children (children and elderly):  8 bags per month
• Tsaramandroso 45 children (children and elderly):  4 bags per month

Total 355 (including 30 elderly people in difficulty): 28 bags per month or 56 bags for January and February. 

Remarks:

• Approximately twenty elderly people will benefit from the soup, combined with a vitamin supplement.
• A plea to funders is envisaged to ensure a longer duration and more consistent coverage of the operation.
• The operation will be organized by the Leaders' Committee with the help of its Enlarged Committee.

It was decided during the mini workshop that we would use noodles, not rice for the soup. Noodles also are easy and quick to cook and different or an alternative to what they used to eat all their lives.

Based on the availability of each village, green leaves like moringa, sweet potato leaves or vegetables are added to the noodles. Dried shrimp add flavor to the soup and are considered a special treat.

Representatives from each village, having participated at this mini-workshop, accepted the challenge to prepare the soup for these vulnerable groups, which will be cooked with Zahana’s improved cookstoves and only bio-charcoal as cooking fuel.

The beneficiaries will have to come with their own bowl and a spoon at the time set by each respective team from their village. In order to strengthen their immune system, elderly people will be provided with multivitamin tablets as well.

Our students from our Zahana schools will benefit as well. In addition to their already reinforced school food, they are also entitled to share in the FVS together with the above-mentioned groups.

This approach falls within the framework of strengthening community solidarity and the relationship between kids in the village with the elderly that we call “Raiamandreny = parents” in Malagasy.

At the same time, the school vegetable garden is encouraged to grow vegetables that can be used to make the soup with noodles more nutritious.

Feedback for the last March 2024 meeting of the Leader’s Committee:

As the poverty is plaguing all the villagers, the committee’s leader reported to us the request from their respective communities to continue the FVS until April and to extend it to all children in each village. Many children couldn’t understand why they weren’t included within the group of vulnerable people getting FVS, or why some of their friends who playing football with them enjoyed it and they couldn’t.

Thank you for everybody who supported our reforestation project over the years!

Reforestation has become a pilar of our work in Madagascar. The last sentence of this report illustrates it best: “As is customary at ZAHANA, reforestation activities preceded the events.” “As is customary” means reforestation has become such an integral part of festivities sometimes the lack of a separate report is the best report.

We are currently working on and updated version of our reforestation project and will make it available soon.  In the meantime we still have our Improved cookstoves prevent deforestation project.
 
Here is the report from Christmas:
 
It was under this highly symbolic theme of "CHRISTMAS AND SHARING" that the Christmas festivities were celebrated this year, 2023. Under the aegis of the ZAHANA association, the activities were led by the twelve members of the newly appointed Leaders' Committee from the association's four village sites.
 
Thanks to the support of all concerned, from early companions to long-standing friends, this year's celebration had a special sparkle to it, as they were able to share with their respective families the joy of donations for the children of ZAHANA's two schools. Hard candy, cookies, ready to eat packaged soups, cups and clothes (mostly) in their size were distributed to all children of our two schools.
 
Please keep in mind, Zahana didn’t forget the kids from the public schools in our village. Their students also got clothes and candy as part of the festivities.
 
Songs and dances celebrating the nativity alternated during these moments of jubilation under the amazed eyes of their parents and the audience.

Taking advantage of the season and the end-of-year festivities, ZAHANA was keen to publicly congratulate and celebrate those who had made tangible efforts to maintain their family vegetable garden in all 4 village sites. They were awarded a symbolic prize in the spirit of encouraging other to follow their example.

The mass distribution of anti-parasite medication (provided by the Ministry of Health program) coincides with the celebration of Christmas. Therefore, a light meal was prepared for the children, so they had something in their belly, before taking these drugs.
 
As is customary at ZAHANA, reforestation activities preceded the events.