Madagascar and You - Madagascar - page 226

prison. At the centre 82 children are being helped by the Child Sponsor Programme,
but there is a growing number still needing sponsors. The Centre also has a scheme
called Wheels4Life which provides bicycles for young men who need them to earn
a living. There are photos of these boys beaming from ear to ear on their shiny new
bikes.Finally,agroupof86womendobeautiful embroidery athomewhilecaringfor
their families, which provides an income both for them and for the centre.
Arecentprojectishousingforneedywomenandtheirchildren;simplehouseshave
been built on donated land on the outskirts of Tana and this is now a thriving commu-
nitywithitsownlivestock andkitchen gardens.AddedtothisisthenewFaniloCrisis
Home for girls and women who have been battered, abandoned or sexually abused.
The challenges of working with the destitute were brought home to me on a recent
visit, when Sister Jeanette (who speaks English) told that women enrolling in the em-
broidery programme have first to be shown how to hold a pen, and then how to take
measurements, before they can even begin to be taught how to sew. They also need to
be 'paid' in food during their training to compensate for loss of earnings as beggars.
Hard to believe when you see the exquisite work done by these former street-women.
CentreFihavanana(SœursduBonPasteur),58LalanaStephani,Antananarivo; 22
299 81; e [e-mail]
OneexampleistheDutch/MalagasyorganisationFitiavanainAmbositra(seeboxon Click
Here ) . Anything is possible if you care enough.
TheorganisationsandcharitieslistedbelowareallworkingwiththepeopleofMadagas-
car, and, by extension, habitat conservation. Most of them are very small, run by dedicated
volunteers who would welcome even modest donations. Other charities work specifically
for wildlife. What better way to channel your empathy for Madagascar and its problems?
UK AND US CHARITIES ASSISTING MADAGASCAR
People
Andrew Lees Trust 020 7424 9256; www.andrewleestrust.org . Set up in 1995, this
charity helped to launch & support training at the Libanona Ecology Centre. Named after
the international environmental campaigner Andrew Lees, the Trust develops social & en-
vironmental education projects in the south, specifically to increase access to information
& education that empowers local populations to improve food security, reduce poverty &
manage natural resources more sustainably. Project Radio, shortlisted for the UNESCO
international prize for rural development communications, works with a network of 58
local partners & 38 radio stations across the south to produce & broadcast vital informa-
tion & educational radio programmes to isolated rural communities. A sister programme,
Project Energy, trained women in the south to build 37,000 wood-efficient stoves that re-