GlobalGiving.org: Changing lives in the village of Fiarenana

The real measure of success

Markus Faigle — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:31:32 GMT

The new and improved communal water faucets

Dear freinds and supporters!

Sometimes the success of our participatory approach is best illustrated with a project we don’t do ourselves. Metal fences now surround all seven of Fiadanana’s communal water faucets for over 2 years. Built with a solid concrete foundation, the fences are holding up well.

All metal fences were built and paid for by the community, because they saw a need for it, without asking Zahana for a financial contribution. This is a prime example of a community taking ownership of and responsibility for their own resources.

Some history: In 2006, the community built their communal water system with seven communal water faucets (see website) with support from Zahana. We thought (see photo) communal water faucets could become a green oasis in the village, beautifying everything through colorful flowers and greenery, easily watered by the runoff.

Little did we know that the cows had no appreciation for esthetics, but a great hunger for juicy fresh green ‘stuff’. To keep the cattle out, the community decided to use concrete and metal, keeping their communal water sources safe for years to come.

Ihanta, Jeannett and Markus

Fence around the communal water faucet

The improved communal water faucet in the school

The 'old' communal water faucet in 2007

Runoff keeps the garden green

Fiadanana's traditional healer with granddaughter

Links:

Safe drinking water system for the community

Seven students from Fiadanana made it!!!

Markus Faigle — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:58:58 GMT

Seven happy and proud students

We just got this picture of all seven students from Fiadanana that got award the CEPE (Certificat d'etudes primaires élémentaires or Certificate of Primary Studies). Our wonderful teachers trainer, whos work made this possible as well is to the left.

“Getting a CEPE is a very big deal for everybody, nobody in their village ever got a CEPE so far”, our friend Dr. Ihanta told us on Skype. “8 of our students from our Fiadanana school took the exam. They had been preparing for weeks every day with their teacher. Seven of our Students passed the exam, while from other village schools only 30% to 50% of the students were so lucky”

In Madagascar a CEPE is a Certificat d'etudes primaires élémentaires (or Certificate of Primary Studies). A nation-wide standardized test, it can be awarded after attending five years of primary education. Students that don't pass either leave school without a CEPE or may try again after repeating the year in school.

Zahana’s school in Fiadanana is now 5 years old and these are our first students who qualified to take the CEPE. Established as private schools, Zahana has more educational freedom in choosing a culturally appropriate curriculum, but our children do qualify to take an external exam for the CEPE. Successfully passing the CEPE exam is a prerequisite to enroll in secondary education.

Links:

What is a CEPE??

Zahana: ‘Project of the Month Club’ in August '11

Markus Faigle — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:51:07 GMT

Dear friends,

We are happy and proud to announce that for August 2011 Zahana is featured in the ‘Project of the Month Club’ at GlobalGiving. You supported our work in the village in Fiarenana early on, when we had just joined GlobalGiving and we have come a long way since together. Thank you for you support and trust.

Every month GlobalGiving awards this ‘Project of the Month Club’ designation to a new exceptionally high performing project. For August our ‘Solar cookers for the school in Fiadanana’ takes the spotlight on the GlobalGiving website. We are thankful to GlobalGiving for this great opportunity to reach a wider audience of dedicated donors for Zahana.

Please check it out and let all your friends know.

Best regards,

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

Links:

Solar water pasteurizers in action

Thank you for making us a superstar!

Markus Faigle — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:35:35 GMT

Thank you!

We could not have done it without your support! The temptation was big to just send a progress report with two words: “Thank you”. But, we wanted to explain it a bit more:

February 2011 Zahana was awarded “Superstar” status, the highest level an organization can reach on GlobalGiving! Regular progress report by our amazing Malagasy team, combined with your donor support got us among the 30 superstars, a brand new program launched at GlobalGiving.

Last but not least: March 16 - Bonus Day at GlobalGiving.
On March 16, 2011 GlobalGiving is matching at 30% all online donations (up to US$1,000 per donor per project) with $75,000 available in matching funds. The last time matching funds were depleted half way into the Bonus Day, so be ready midnight EST on March 16 if you would like to top off your generous donation to Zahana.

Thank you.

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

P.S. Zahana did not get chosen for the Ford Focus test drive in February 2011.

Zahana’s video & the Ford Focus Global Test Drive

Markus Faigle — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:19:30 GMT

Dear Friends,

Thanks to GlobalGiving’s endorsement Zahana is entitled to compete for the $10,000 prize money in the Ford Focus Global Test Drive. Another creative fundraising strategy to explore, we just submitted a video. Now we hope to get chosen with your help.

If you are on Facebook and would like to support us, the steps are:
Please watch the video “Changing lives in Madagascar”

click on “love it” in the bottom and encourage all your friends to do the same. If we get enough “love its” we are in and get the $10,000. We only have until Dec 31, so procrastination is not an option anymore. And while you are on Facebook why not “like” Zahana’s Facebook page as well? (If this does not work just send me an email at markus@zahana.org and I forward you the URL by email.)

We are in the process of redesigning our own website www.zahana.org, to make it (hopefully) easier to navigate. Please visit if you get a chance and let us know what you think of the new look.

Last but not least with the end of the (tax) year near, we hope you might consider Zahana in your giving as well. You may do so on-line from the links in this update, or you can as always send a good old check in the postal mail to Zahana (see website for details).

For the last minute virtual gift you could always download a Zahana Thank you card and make a donation in somebody elses’ name.

Happy Holidays,

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

Zahana: reflection on true success

Markus Faigle — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:55:23 GMT

Water supply before Zahana

Dear Friends of Zahana:

This is a reminder: Thursday, December 16 is Bonus Day at GlobalGiving. Every donation is matched by 50% until they run out of matching funds. Last time GlobalGiving ran out of matching funds for the first time, so please donate early, if you can.

We apologize in case you get this progress report from another GlobalGiving project. This issue is overarching and posted on all three. The latest Zahana report (Nov. 2010) illustrates our definition of “success” quite drastically:

Background: In 2006 the community of Fiadanana built their own water system with help from Zahana. Zahana hired the water experts, who living in the village for two months, taught the villagers how to lay pipe from a ground well in the mountains over a mile away. Seven communal faucets provide clean, safe water to everybody all year round all over the village ever since.

Report from Ihanta in Madagascar: “In Fiadanana where they got safe drinking water in 2006 through seven communal faucets, the impact is tremendous. A key reason why we found teachers willing to move to the village of Fiadanana was the availability of clean safe drinking water. It is the only village in the area that can make such a claim.

Mparany, our Zahana teacher, reported that since he has been living in Fiadanana, no child’s death was reported. The only death in the village was a woman who had surgery in the hospital of Tsiroanomandidy for appendicitis some 2 months ago. Berthine, a member of the women’s group, confirmed that before Zahana in the “hard times period” (époque dure) between the harvests from October to December, it felt like almost every day one child passed away from diarrhea. (She said 26 deaths in 2 months.) She explained that people from Fiadanana now have to carry their water with them if they have to go to another village, since their stomachs don’t feel well drinking the water from the other villages.” (More in our November Newsletter.)

It is Zahana’s guiding development philosophy to make life in the villages so livable and attractive that it is worth staying there with your family working the land. A lot of development problems connected with urbanization and sprawling slums attracting impoverished farmers can be avoided if people are not forced to leave for the cities in an often futile search for a better life.

As you might plan your end of the year giving, we hope that you will remember Zahana (even if you missed “bonus day”). We have ready-to-use Zahana gift cards you can download off our Zahana website as a do-it-yourself project if you want to add a personal touch.

Happy Holidays and thanks for your continued support

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

Building the water tank way up on the mountain

A big tank stores all the water in the village

One of seven communal water faucets

Links:

Zahana: results in brief

The students are learning to grow food

Markus Faigle — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 03:19:54 GMT

Bary the gardener at work in the school garden

Zahana has recently hired Bary, a second gardener to work in the village of Fiadanana, the first project site where our participatory collaboration started in 2005. Bary is currently being trained by our original gardener in the second village (Fiarenana) and shows an equally amazing green thumb. Combined with great enthusiasm, Bary is planting and growing what he learned right away. We have the feeling we have some healthy growing competition going here and both gardeners are very active trying out new seeds and raising tree seedlings for their villages.

Bary decided to put his knowledge to good use revitalizing the school garden that fell dormant after the initial enthusiasm by the woman’s group in 2006. He now actively involves the school children in the planting and tending of their garden. Learning to grow vegetables as part of their hands-on curriculum means the children are raising their future school food at the same time. The seventh communal faucet in Fiadanana was put all the way out in the schoolyard so children had access to clean, safe drinking water. A running faucet makes is possible to water the vegetable beds regularly in an environment that is quite dry and dusty, where water makes the difference between green or shriveled. They take great pride in watering their crops. The pictures speak for themselves. Please visit our website for additional pictures.

The new beds planted with vegetables

The students in the school garden

Links:

An update from Fiarenana

Markus Faigle — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:53:02 GMT

The typical hump that gives the zebu its name

Dear friends,

It is certainly easier to report about the opening of a school or the planting of trees, but on a more somber note, here is the latest sad news from Madagascar.

Our village of Fiarenana was attacked for the third time by ‘dahalo’, or cattle thieves, a few weeks back. They came into the village at night, shouting loudly, throwing stones at the house and firing gun shots in the air. People huddled inside their houses in fear for their lives. They stole 11 zebu belonging to the pastor and 2 other people in the village. Our contact in the village reported on the cell phone: “The entire districts is devastated and in a state of shock, most villages have been attacked and robbed by dahalo at night, something that we have never experienced before in our area. In the village next to us a 15 year old boy was shot dead”.

Note: Zebu are cattle and prized possessions in Madagascar. Poor farmers raise cattle as a living savings account. They need at least two heads of cattle to plow their fields and pull their carriages. Zebus are an important source of milk. For centuries zebu have had great cultural significance and are vital for funerals.

Guns are very uncommon in Madagascar and nobody in the villages owns any firearms or weapons. In the past cattle thieves were very uncommon in our part of the country and armed with sticks they occasionally stole a cow or two grazing at night far away from the village, scaring and making the child watching it run away. People in Madagascar, rooted in cultural traditions, do not go outside after dark if they can avoid it. Since the situation got more volatile, many farmers have gathered all zebu inside the village at night to guard better against cattle thieves, putting them at the same time as risk of a violent attack inside their village. Fortunately for Zahana, people do not feel that they are more prone to fall prey to dahalo because of their cooperation of working with us, the ‘outsiders’.

We apologize if you get this update more than once, but by the same token say: “thank you for supporting more than one of our projects on GlobalGiving”

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

Zebu and a carraige in the background

The typical carriage drawn by two zebu

Links:

Bonus Day: Wed. June 16, 2010

Markus Faigle — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:01:13 GMT

Fiarenana men's soccer club

Dear donor to our work in Fiarenana,

50% interest in one day? Sounds too good to be true? Not really: The GlobalGiving “Bonus Day” is a wonderful opportunity to ‘super size’ your donation to Zahana by 50% at not additional cost.

Thank you! It is your donation, almost two years ago, when we just started with GlobalGiving that makes our work possible. Since then GlobalGiving has offered Zahana an opportunity to meet generous donors like you we might never meet or reach otherwise. We hope an event such as Bonus Day might entice you to give again to one of our current projects, or encourage your friends and family to support our work in Madagascar.

How it works:

On Bonus Day (Wednesday, June 16) your donation to Zahana will be matched by 50% by GlobalGiving. This opportunity is a one-day only event, from midnight to midnight EDT on Wednesday June 16 (Eastern Daylight Time, not your time zone.) All three Zahana currently open projects with GlobalGiving are eligible. (Yes, we will send this reminder again on June 15 and June 16.)

Yes, there is a US$1000 bonus again for the group that raises the largest amount of money and the one who finds the largest number of donors, so please help us make that goal.

The latest exciting news: Zahana was invited to participate in National Geographic’s (yes, the iconic yellow magazine) Global Action Atlas. The Global Action Atlas is a way for National Geographic’s readers to learn and get more involved with projects. With the reach of National Geographic, this is tremendous opportunity for Zahana.

Please visit the Global Action Atlas though our website. National Geographic tracks the click-throughs from our website and recognizes your effort by giving Zahana projects prominent placement.

This was made possible thanks to Global Giving. In April we had a chance to visit Global Giving in Washington DC and give a presentation about our work to the staff. Currently all Global Giving projects are listed on National Geographic’s Global Action Atlas.

Last but not least we have switched our newsletter to VerticalResponse and you can find a link to it below.

Solar water pastuerizer tested at the school

Links:

The work continues in Fairenana

Markus Faigle — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:43:49 GMT

The innauguration of the school in Fiarenana

Dear supporters of Zahana,

Zahana’s projects are progressing in the village of Fiarenana. The community has finished building the school and the official inauguration was celebrated on March 4, 2010, now that the rainy season has passed. The school had been unofficially attended by the students already since January 2010. The building was almost completed and the teacher had already been trained by Zahana and was ready to start, so Zahana and the community decided to send the kids to school. It is wonderful to see their desire to go to school and their enthusiasm. Please visit our website for the inspirational photos.

The villagers dug a well next the school. Providing water for the school and the newly dug school gardens, this is currently one of the few wells that still has water.

The microcredit project provided potato seedlings and beans to the community. Introducing potatoes as a new crop proved very successful and we will invite the agricultural expert that recommended it again to teach the community more about diversifying crops.

Zahana has decided, to keep the expert gardener, who successfully grew the coffee seedlings, employed, so he could experiment growing more seedlings and new crops with the security of a guaranteed income. This means that Zahana currently has 4 employees – 2 teachers in Fiadanana, 1 teacher in Fiarenena and the expert gardener who will hopefully help other villages in the region.

Please visit our website for more information and new photos.

Thank you again for your ongoing support to keep the projects going. Donations are always welcome!!

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

P.S. We are grateful for the opportunity to visit Global Giving in Washington D.C. in April 2010 and present about our work with Zahana to the staff.

Rice - grown in rows adviced by ag-expert

The new well by the school

Links:

Our work in Fiadanana is very successful

Markus Faigle, Jeannette Koijane — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:12:14 GMT

The nursery's gardner with coffee plants

Our friends in Madagascar just retuned Dec 22 from a site visit to the villages and we wanted to send you a short update on the latest Zahana events (quick links to the right).

CROP IMPROVEMENT: The potatoes provided by Zahana for the community of Fiarenana as a “seed fund” back in July ‘09 have been harvested. Since the price of potatoes has since plummeted they are mostly eaten by the families growing them and provide much needed food in the current “époque dure” or ‘hungry time’ before the rice harvest.

REVITALIZING THE NURSERY Growing coffee and papaya seedlings is a success story in Fiarenana: 2,703 coffee seedling plants are under way to be planted. Each family was given between 20 to 370 baby coffee trees. 76 new papayas were also planted. Zahana decided to retain the gardener longer and pay him to grow more seedlings for the community. The village of Fiadanana received 150 coffee seedlings, as a goodwill gesture from their neighbors. Please see our website for more information.

Happy Holidays and thank you for your support

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

Coffee seedlings

Coffee seedlings grown in Fiarenana's nursery

Links:

More about microcredit and Zahana

Give More - Get More to buiilt our school

Markus Faigle, Jeannette Koijane — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:07:14 GMT

Building the school and everybody helps

Dear friends,

If you considered donating to Zahana again in the 2009 tax year, now (until Dec 1) might be a very good time.

Two of our current projects have been invited to join the Give More - Get More Challenge and GlobalGiving will match your contributions incrementally.

Please help us getting these matching funds. Please tell your friends and encourage them to give too.

The challenge details:

November 10 to December 1 (but ends Dec 1 at 12:59 EST, not your time zone!)

Matches are staggered based on the amount we raise, or in other words: The more of the total amount of all donations* we raise the bigger the match. We raise up to $2,500: donations will be matched at 30%. We raise $2,501 - $7,500: donations will be matched at 40%. We raise more than $7,501: donations will be matched at 50%.

The three projects that raise the most money will receive additional bonuses of $5,000, $3,000, and $1,000.

* Donations up to $500 per individual will be matched by GlobalGiving, so the matching funds don't get depleted too fast.

Building the communal rice storage

Links:

Fiadanana is implementing many changes

Markus Faigle, Jeannette Koijane — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:05:01 GMT

Distributing potatoes as part of the seed bank micorcredit

Hot off the digital press: Zahana and its founder Dr. Ramihanataniarivo are features in the latest issue of the University of Hawaii Magazine Malamalama (Malamalama means 'the light of knowledge' in Hawaiian). We have included the link below and we encourage you to use their “Leave a Response: feature.

With the communal water well successfully built the community is now putting all their energy into building their school. The photos we got from Madagascar are amazing and we encourage you to visit our website (link below) to witness this truly community wide effort (pictures indeed tell more than a thousand words).

Zahana is currently interviewing the candidates for teachers. As soon as the best candidate has been found in consultation with community representatives, a teacher’s training will be conducted in the village for a month.

NURSERY The coffee seedlings have grown since the last report and are soon ready to be transplanted in time for the beginning of the rainy season. Surrounding communities have already expressed interest in growing coffee as well and have been encouraged to get in touch with the nurseryman to buy their seedlings, since Zahana is not in a position to give seedlings away for free to everybody.

GRAIN STORAGE BUILDING: The grain or rice storage building has been finished and has been in use since the last harvest in May/June 2009. The bags in the back of the picture are the rice seeds acquired by Zahana for the rice seed bank. In the other picture the potatoes, another microcredit project from Zahana, are handed out one kilo at a time per family.

Rice stored in the new storage building

Coffee seeling sprouting

Links:

After the rice harvest

Markus Faigle, Jeannette Koijane — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:38:12 GMT

Coffee seedling in the new bed in the nursery

Dear friends,

We just got the latest pictures for the last site visit to the village to Fiarenana we would like to share this short update with you.

BEAN SEEDS Since out last update bean seeds were delivered to the village. With s short growing cycle the villagers wanted to plant beans as an in-between crop in rice paddies right after the rice harvest. As great ‘nitrogen fixers’ beans could prove very beneficial for the rice paddies, besides providing another great protein source to eat.

NURSERY: As intended the once functioning nursery has been revitalized and the former gardener, has been hired by Zahana to tend to the seedlings until they are big enough for transplanting. (See photo) The goal is that every family starts growing more coffee, so the have some for sale. To date, while they already are growing coffee successfully, all of it is consumed in the village.

MALARIA PREVENTION: Zahana was able to get a hold of mosquito nets for every household in the village of Fiarenana. These nets have been distributed and as you can see in the photos have been received and put to good use. (see photos)

GRAIN STORAGE BUILDING: The building has been finished and officially inaugurated (See photo). The village community wanted to wait until the arrival of Zahana to have this formal dedication. The building is now housing Zahana’s seed bank rice, some of this years rice crop that the community is currently still storing.

POTATOES: 100 kg of potatoes as seed stock was delivered and distributes in the village as requested by the community. As with beans, potatoes can be planted in the fallow rice paddies because they mature before the next rice planting season starts. This is the first time that this variety of potatoes has been introduced to Fairenana.

The next steps:

The microcredit project with poultry and may be other life stock, will be launched in Fiarenana in the spring (starting around September in the southern hemisphere).

Please check out website for more detailed updates as we get more photos.

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

Distributing Mosquit nets to the community

Mosquito nets in use

Links:

The Fiarenana Project

Markus Faigle, Jeannette Koijane — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:18:56 GMT

Building the grain storage building

Thank you to all the donors that made this project possible!

Our partners in Madagascar are delighted, humbled by your generosity and very thankful that you helped us achieve this goal in less than a year. We met our financial goal for this project with your help, allowing Zahana to expanding its participatory development activities to Fiarenana, a second village.

We hope we can count on your support for Zahana in the future, since the scope of Zahana’s activities goes beyond this project in Fiarenana and we hope to be active for years to come. Please visit our website for general updates. We will post progress reports on the GlobalGiving website, that will reach many of you in the form of an email reminder.

In the fall of 2008, Fiadanana was our initial project challenge with GlobalGiving and with your help earned us a permanent presence.

Our next site visit to Fiarenana, weather and circumstances permitting, is planned for the end of June 2009 and we hope to post more pictures about our progress.

Here is the latest update:

GRAIN STORAGE BUILDING After officially inviting Zahana, the community in Fiarenana had already made bricks for a communal grain or rice storage building, back in 2008. The building is now built by the community. Zahana provided the corrugate roofing iron, one door, two windows and the cement for the floor and walls. With the rice harvest in full swing, this building is much needed as you read these lines.

SEED BANK Zahana had bought one ton of rice ahead of the harvest from the villagers to serve as a seed bank for the next harvest. This seed stock, givning a new meaning to the term “seed money,” will be stored in the newly built gain storage building alongside the villager’s harvest. Traditionally many villagers sell all the rice they don't eat themselves right after the harvest for much needed cash, since this is the only source for money they have all year. When the next planting season comes around, many of them have to turn to lenders to buy rice seeds on credit for very high rates. To overcome this vicious cycle, Zahana started this seed bank project as another aspect of our micro-credit efforts.

Further community development steps decided by the community:

COFFEE In June or July, after the rice harvest is over, the community will start planting coffee to grow more then their current subsistence harvest. The improved seeds have been sent to the village on June 2. Coffee plants take 3 to 4 years to bear fruit, so this is a long-term project and investment in the future.

SRI Fiarenana is ready to learn more and implement SRI (System of Rice Intensification) to improve yields. The request for training came from the villagers and Zahana is delighted to facilitate such a training. SRI was developed over 20 years ago in Madagascar and has been successfully implemented in other countries as well including India or Pakistan. Please visit the comprehensive Cornell website (see links) for more information about SRI.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY The community is also interested in introducing new verities of poultry and increasing egg production. The community is already experienced in animal husbandry with zebu cattle, pigs, rabbits and chicken and has been asked for help with micro credit to increase these activities beyond subsistence levels to start raising animals for sale.

Thank you for your support!

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

Building supplies for water system and grain storage

Cassava, and alternative food crop

Links:

Building the new communal well

Markus Faigle — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:29:49 GMT

Old communal well before rebuilding it

Fiarenana had great promise in becoming a model village for Zahana’s participatory approach. Rooted in Zahana’s participatory approach the community decided which project to tackle first. During the last site visit in April 2009 the villages completed reinforcing and improving the communal well. (see photos)

This well is fed by three natural spings. This location has been traditionally used as a communal water source for a long time (see photo ‘old well’). The community decided, since this well represents their history they would rather improve it that digging a new one in a different location. Although it is located outside the village, in a valley where the natural springs are the new stairs make access much easier

In keeping with Zahana’s participatory approach the villagers provided all locally available materials, such as the stones and sand and their labor. Zahana provided the cement, the water filter and the new faucets that required to be bought in town and transported to the village. (see photos)

The new water container, replacing the old well, has a capacity of 1700 liters (450 gallons). The new container is closed and therefore not exposed to debris and dirt, since the water is accessed thought the faucets. This is a vast improvement over the old bucket on a rope system. (see photos at the project description)

Please consider contributing to the Global Giving Green Challenge while the matching funds still last. And thank you, to all of you that helped us to make it to third place so far.

The community builds a new well

The new communal water tank is almost ready

Links:

Green Challenge for Zahana from GlobalGiving

Markus Faigle — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 04:57:35 GMT

April 3, 2009

We have great news: Our sister project “Solar Cookers for the School in Fiadanana” has been awarded the “Green Leaf” form GlobalGiving and invited to join their “Give a Little Green!” Challenge.

This Green Challenge is for projects by invitation only. Starting Saturday, April 4 and running through Tuesday, April 28, 2009 all donations up to $5,000 per individual made to our solar cooker project will receive an additional 50% match from GlobalGiving*.

In addition to matching funds, Zahana can compete for additional funding! The three projects receiving the greatest number of individual donations will receive extra prizes of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000, respectively.

We need to act fast! Let’s get the matching funds as long as they last. With a minimum of $10 dollars becoming $15 with the click of the mouse, please consider donating now to our twin project in our original pilot site of Fiadanana Please tell your friends about this exciting opportunity provided by GlobalGiving in honor of the upcoming Earth Day.

Please pass this email on within your network.

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

PS: Check out the website of the BlazingTubeSolarAppliance. We hope to test this innovative solar cooker in Fiadanana as part of our solar efforts as soon as possible.

* That means for every dollar you donate, Zahana will receive another $0.50. The match will be available from April 4 to April 28 only or until $25,000 in matching funds have been depleted. Even if matching funds are depleted, the challenge portion of the campaign will continue until April 28th.

Links:

Update on Madagascar from Zahana

Markus Faigle — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:39:44 GMT

Some of you read or might soon read about Madagascar in the news. some of you contacted us already, so we wanted to send a short message.

Thanks to email, text messaging and Skype we have been in constant contact with our partners in Madagascar and they are fine. One thing becomes obvious: we have to increase our efforts in rural participatory development and education.

Zahana has been focusing on making village life more attractive and livable so people don't have to leave their village in the first place in search of a better life. This can be done for example by providing development partnerships to built access to clean water or a school for their children.

Almost a decade back Madagascar experienced a very tumultuous political situation and as a result many people fled the cities in search of safety in countryside. In the case of the village of Fiadanana, Zahana's pilot village, its population increased by 20% and after the political situation stabilized most of the newcomers decided to stay, since they discovered the advantages of the rural over the city life.

We encourage you to frequent your trusted news sources for more information. We find http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/?search=madagascar&searchheadlines=1 useful, since it lists many languages as links.

Please write to us directly if you want more information.

But despite the disturbing news out participatory development efforts in two villages in Madagascar continue.

Based on the ties established with the community of Fiarenana in October 2008 a formal meeting was held in February 2009.

To demonstrate their willingness to collaborate with Zahana they have already made 13,000 bricks for a future school building. In contrast to many other villages over 80% of the parents had gone to school as children themselves, can all read and write, and see the value and need for education for their children. The community envisions a school building that could become a leaning center for agriculture, health education and rural improvement that would function more as a rural university than a grade school in the traditional sense.

Decisions made at the February meeting:

Drinking water As with most villages, safe drinking water is the biggest need. In this meeting it was decided to first improve the existing community well (see photos on the website) by building a permanent, covered structure, using the bricks that can support the hand pump supplied by Zahana. Since this community well represents their history and tradition, improving it was decided to be better then digging a new one.

Papaya Each family will plant 7 papaya trees: 2 trees for the family's consumption and 5 where the fruits can be sold, either as dried fruits or fresh in the market in nearby Bevato.

SRI The community requested training in SRI, the System of Rice Intensification. SRI was developed over two decades ago in Madagascar and can dramatically improve yields, doubling or even tripling crop yields at times. (Cornell University SRI http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/). SRI has been very successful around the globe, but only works if a community is willing to learn about and adopt new planting techniques.

Increasing coffee production Coffee is already grown in the village, but also consumed there. This is a great savings as cash does not leave the community to buy coffee. This cultivation will be intensified to supply neighboring villages and the community of Bevato. Traditionally farmers must supply coffee at harvest time to everybody working in their fields, so then the need for coffee is great.

Staying in touch, or the marvels of modern technology: Staying in touch with remote village communities can be challenging when Zahana members have to travel for over 5 hours to get there, if the roads are passable and there is no mail service or busses that go there. Fortunately the village of Fiarenana has cell phone coverage.

Zahana bought a cell/mobile phone for the community of Fiarenana. They formed a committee of 4 representatives that are entitled to use it. If they have an issue to discuss with Zahana they send a text message/SMS and Zahana calls them back.

All cell phones in Madagascar only work with pre paid minutes, but incoming calls are free, since the caller pays for the calls. Therefore the cost for the villagers to talk to Zahana is minimal (just for the SMS) and Zahana pays for the minutes of the call on their end. All Zahana needs to do is to recharge the phone with more minutes every few months, so the number does not expire and there is now a direct lifeline to exchange ideas and news with Fiarenana.

But Fiarenana has no electricity. To recharge the cell phone's battery they need to walk over and hour to the next small town of Bevato to pay to get it recharged there. This service currently costs 2500 FMG (about 25 US cents) per charge with the use of a generator.

This is the first time that such a fancy high tech device has been available for the villagers.

Making a differene in Madagascar

Markus Faigle — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:04:31 GMT

Misaotra betsaka, Thank You very much! Merci Beaucoup! Vielen Dank! Muito Obrigado, Kiitoksia Paljon!!!

You did it! We made the goal and above with the Global Giving Challenge. We rank 8 out of 75 participants and got 124 contributors according to the website!

This would not have been possible without all of you contributing and getting your friends to donate. You have earned Zahana a permanent space on Global Giving. On Friday we sent the good news via SMS/text message to Madagascar and got this reply a few minutes later: “You're right, it's incredible. Congratulations! We all got it.”

Zahana will now be able to work in a second village and help people to transform their lives for the better. The first step now is a formal community meeting in Fiarenana, to establish official ties with the community, the elders and Zahana. This is often a day-long event in Madagascar, where future joint actions are discussed and decided.

Ihanta, Jeannette and Markus

2008 Challenge - the last week - an update

Markus Faigle — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:32:24 GMT

Children drinking water in Zahana’s school from a yogurt cup

Dear friends,

Thank you to all that already donated to the Global Giving Challenge 2008!

We still have 48 unique donors to go in a week’s time. I’m sure with your help we can reach this goal. Please let your friends and loved ones know about the challenge and encourage them to give too.

We just heard from our friend Ihanta in Madagascar she is very moved by the support we got over the last two weeks. She apologized she could not be more involved, but the fiscal year ends for the Ministry of Health and she is swamped.

We are planning to combine our next visit to Fiadanana and Fiarenana with Santa’s visit to our school in Fiadanana. Last year the over 150 children got among other things a yogurt (more on the website). If you look in the picture they are still reusing the containers months later for their water.

The most exciting and most challenging part of the visit will be to start collaborating with the village of Fiarenana, thanks to the donations through Global Giving. In anticipation of the new project’s launch we already did send some new seeds ahead, so they can plant in-between crops before the rice harvest. Thanks to your contributions we plan to acquire the needed mosquito nets as well, so we can get them to the village before the rainy or malaria season, when the roads become impassable for 3 months. In the community meeting the village will decide how to revitalize the nursery, the next big project we will tackle.

More soon. Thank you.

Jeannette and Markus

The classroom of the smaller children with our teacher