Racial Justice Madagascar Project #75519

Create a Daily Living Wage for Villagers in Africa

by Purpose on the Planet

Create a Daily Living Wage for Villagers in Africa

Project Report | Jul 20, 2026
26 Second Quarter Impact Report: ReWrite Our Story

By Peter Adams | Executive Director

Mangroves in Madagascar

We Are Part of a Great Comeback Story - An Incredible Global Revival Is Underway

A landmark 2026 study from Tulane University has revealed encouraging news: mangrove forests around the world are making a remarkable comeback.

Driven by stronger protections, community stewardship, and growing recognition of their value, these vital coastal ecosystems are staging an incredible recovery in many regions after decades of decline.

Mangroves are among the world's unsung environmental heroes:

They store up to five times more CO2 than many land-based forests.
Their tangled roots help protect coastal communities from extreme weather events, including storm surges, flooding and erosion.
They provide critical nursery habitat for fish, crabs and marine life.

And thanks to your support, our ARC mangrove project in Madagascar is helping drive this global revival.

Meet the Community Leaders Making it Possible

Greetings from the VOI President

As of this month, we help provide work and income for the "Red Island Restoration" team of 6 full-time, 49 part-time, and 20 seasonal team members in Antsanitia.

Working under the umbrella of the community conservation association, VOI Taratra, they are restoring mangrove forests, protecting wildlife habitat, and creating a reliable source of income for local families

One of the people leading this effort is Frederique—known locally as Papa Eric—who has overseen conservation activities at the Antsanitia site in recent years.

His leadership has helped transform restoration efforts into a community-driven movement that benefits both people and nature.

Click HERE or on the image above to hear directly from Papa Eric about his life and work.

Setting the Standard for Restoration

Last year alone, the Antsanitia team planted close to 150,000 mangroves.

Achieving results on this scale requires more than planting trees. The team continually evaluates restoration techniques, expands suitable habitat, fills gaps in previously degraded areas, and strengthens long-term conservation protections.

Training is a critical part of this work. New techniques, changing environmental conditions, and evolving restoration strategies require ongoing collaboration and skill development.

Below, the Red Island Ecosystems Director, Paquerrette, leads one of her regular community workshops centered around forest management, restoration planning, and field-team training.

Protecting Our Current Progress

The Antsanitia Project now restores and protects 1,302 hectares of habitat.

As restoration expands, so does the need to safeguard these gains. Security leads, forest guards, and caretakers conduct regular patrols along the coastline and key access points to help prevent illegal harvesting and other threats.

Calve is one of the dedicated guards helping protect these restored ecosystems. His role not only provides vital income for his family but also allows him to contribute directly to the long-term health of the environment he calls home.

Click HERE or on the image above to hear directly from Calve about his role protecting the ecosystem

This protection effort is supported by fire-watch towers, fire-lane maintenance, debris clearing, community outreach, and environmental education initiatives.

Together, these measures help ensure that restored forests remain healthy, productive, and resilient for generations to come.

With strong community leadership, effective protection measures, and ongoing restoration, these forests can continue providing food, livelihoods, protection, and environmental benefits for the entire community—far into the future.

Every mangrove planted, every hectare protected, and every conservation job created is helping build a healthier future for both people and nature.

The progress occurring at Antsanitia is a powerful reminder that local action can contribute to global change.

Thank you for making this work possible. Together, we're contributing to one of the most encouraging environmental success stories of our time—the global rebirth of mangrove forests.

The Red Island Restoration Team in Antsanitia

Security Guard on the Fire Watch Tower

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Mar 28, 2026
26 First Quarter Impact Report - ReWrite Our Story

By Peter Adams | Programs Director

The details below are taken from our Year-End Impact Report and offer an at-a-glance overview of the key outcomes that are currently being delivered for people and planet at our project locations on the continent.

Alleviating Poverty & Food Insecurity in Africa

We’re proud to share that we doubled the number of local community team members that we support in Africa over the last year.

With your help, we’re now strengthening brighter livelihoods for 50 community members in Africa—twice as many as last year. These living-wage opportunities play a direct role in alleviating poverty, helping families reduce food insecurity, meet daily needs, and improve overall well-being.

Income generated through our Recruit & Restore projects supports underserved communities in Madagascar and along the shoreline of Lake Tanganyika in Western Tanzania, where access to reliable employment is limited but the need for sustainable livelihoods is critical. Specifically, in Madagascar, the teams of local villagers collect and sort mangrove propagules, then plant each species at optimal tidal-zone sites. While on the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, program participants receive support, training and income for planting ficus seedlings and ensuring their long-term health.

In both locations, in addition to alleviating poverty and helping villagers meet immediate food and healthcare needs, the household income boost from our long-term tree planting and long-term forest conservation projects provides other important ancillary benefits for local families. For example, recent employee surveys from Madagascar report positive changes in families’ access to schools, resources to pay off debts, and even the ability to start micro-enterprises.

Restoring Ecosystems & Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa

Today, we’re planting an average of 7,000 trees every month, helping restore degraded landscapes while creating meaningful work for local villagers.

Each of our project locations focuses on restoring ecosystems in Africa using approaches tailored to local environmental conditions, cultural knowledge, and long-term conservation needs.

ARC ACREP Site: Antsanitia, Madagascar
The ACREP planting area spans approximately 1,042 hectares and includes several vital ecosystems, such as coastal forests, raffia swamps, mangrove estuaries, and dry forests. Our reforestation efforts focus primarily on the mangrove and adjacent dry forest zones, aiming to restore degraded areas, expand forest cover, and enhance species diversity within these ecosystems. As a whole, the project work will rehabilitate and protect three distinct ecosystems, helping to sustain local wildlife and preserve critical habitats.

As one specific example, through our Recruit & Restore program local community team members collect and sort mangrove propagules before planting each species in its optimal tidal-zone habitat. These restored mangrove ecosystems will help protect coastlines, support fisheries, and strengthen climate resilience for coastal communities. You can learn more about this traditional, mangrove reforestation process HERE.

The Tuungane Project: Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania
The mountains of the Greater Mahale Ecosystem rise sharply from the Tanzanian shore of Lake Tanganyika. Lush forests provide a haven for wildlife — including 90% of the country’s endangered chimpanzees. An inland ocean holding nearly 20% of the world’s fresh water, the lake teems with brightly colored fish found nowhere else. This landscape is also home to more than 500,000 people living in remote villages who farm and fish to feed their families.

Through the forestry program we support at Tuungane, local villagers receive training, tools, and income to plant and monitor ficus seedlings, restoring forest cover while building long-term stewardship of natural resources. You can learn more about the full process HERE

Mitigating Climate Change & Building Climate Resilience

Few actions are more critical to climate-change mitigation than removing existing CO from the atmosphere as efficiently as possible. Our latest quantified carbon-modeling data indicates that approximately 77,000 mangrove and ficus trees can sequester around 1,800 metric tons of CO over a typical maturation period.

Last year alone, we supported the planting of 77,000 trees, ensuring this goal would be met—or exceeded.

This progress builds on the lasting impact of the 225,000 trees you’ve already helped plant at our African project sites in previous years, contributing to ongoing carbon sequestration and ecosystem recovery.

Beyond carbon capture, restoring ecosystems in Africa plays a vital role in stabilizing soil, reducing erosion, and strengthening resilience as climate change drives more intense storms. Healthy forests and mangroves also help revive once-productive fisheries—an essential source of food and income for many coastal and lakeside communities, such as our own at Antsanitia, Madagascar and around the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Western Tanzania.

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Attachments:

Environmental Nonprofit Impact Report 2025-26 (Q1) (PDF)

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