Volunteering in Madagascar, community building project

Environment

The project runs long term community based initiatives which integrate poverty reduction schemes, sustainable conservation efforts and scientific research.

Through this building project volunteers will be contributing to the preservation and enhancement of the local environment. Volunteers will work alongside the local building team and charity staff to complete locally requested community construction projects. Local sourced materials and techniques are used to ensure that any buildings fits into the cultural landscape and has a minimal carbon footprint.

The charity works in various project locations ensuring to support all the local environments and communities through grassroots consultations and research. The project works to ensure that health needs are met concentrating on projects to evaluate the need and prioritise the building of new toilets; thus having a direct impact on the sanitation of the environment.

Together with the local government the team are helping to provide the community with access to clean water through new wells, which is vital to for the local community.

Community

The project is committed to creating sustainable projects that enhance the provisions for the local region. Building new schools in assessed locations is beneficial to the local community since this increases the children's accessibility to their vital education. Volunteers contribute to the development of one of the most economically and environmentally fragile countries in the world.

The community also benefits from sanitation projects building toilets and working to increase the access to clean water through building new wells.

As Madagascar is a unique island with high biodiversity it has led to eco-tourism growing in Madagascar and it is an increasingly important part of their economic development, providing a sustainable livelihood. The new community classrooms which are built allow the children to receive a full education as well as English language lessons. As English is the main language within the tourist industry, many local people would like to improve their skills and conversational English. The project is therefore helping to increase the employability of people in the local community, directly as well as indirectly.