Join our non-profit education and food sovereignty projects near Antananarivo, Madagascar

Details

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  Description

  Hello! We are a registered non-profit in Madagascar that started the first mobile library in the country in 2016.
  
  First, we focus on education: helping kids and young people improve literacy, learn new skills, and explore creativity by bringing books and learning resources to rural villages who don't have easy access to schools or libraries. Second, re-greening and reforestation: planting trees, fruit trees and restoring degraded land to support local ecosystems. Third, culinary mushrooms: teaching sustainable farming practices that provide income and food for local families. Last but not least, health and community guidance is a key part of our work: we bring basic health support, like blood pressure checks, to the villagers and raise awareness about women’s health, hygiene, nutrition, and healthy habits.
  
  We are a friendly team of 5, passionate about supporting local communities in Madagascar. Our team includes teachers, an assistant, a specialist in agriculture and livestock, a photographer and social media manager. Our team enjoys combining learning with laughter and teamwork.
  
  As our name suggests, we're always on the move. We visit three remote villages each month which are a 2-3 hour drive outside of Antananarivo. These tours are typically three days, where we spend two nights in the village. Each morning, we visit public primary schools to spend time with teachers and students to share general knowledge, tell stories, sing songs, and have fun with the children. In the afternoons, we welcome anyone in the village who wants to read, talk, and learn new things. As we work in these rural villages, respect for local culture, traditions, and customs is essential. Volunteers are encouraged to interact positively with villagers, help respectfully, and participate in education and environmental activities.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Farming

  

  Charity work

  

  Music

  

  Books

  

  Team sports

  

  Nature
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Our Projects Director and Co-founder, Jean (or JJ), was a 12 year veteran tour guide for Madagascar Travel companies and can speak fluent French, Malagasy and English. He can tell you about every animal, tribe, region, plant, etc. and has a deep knowledge of Madagascar’s history, culture and so much more. His wife, father in-law and daughters help run the Nonprofit Charity. All are extremely warm, welcoming and have developed a special kind of rapport with welcoming and working with volunteers over the years.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  ** We are looking for volunteers who can focus on the areas below. In your message to us, please let us know in which of these areas you can help **
  1. Language Teacher/Educator - French, English, or Malagasy-speaking people that are passionate about teaching a language, want to read to and/or teach others of various ages (from children to adults) for our Mobile Library, which is our main project.
  2. Permaculture, food forests, agro-forestry specialists. People who understand mycology and the art of growing culinary mushrooms for food and income.
  3. Social Media / Marketing - We have our social media platforms set up and need help posting our incredible photo/video content - we have a lot! We want to increase our social media reach with the goal of launching fundraising campaigns through these platforms. We are also looking for help to launch and market sustainable tourism.
  4. Fundraising - We have a list of potential donors, corporations, foundations to reach out to for grants and donations, anyone with experience here would be valuable.
  5. Wordpress/Web Design - Anyone who is proficient in Wordpress, we’d like to expand our Donations page and add a Sustainable Tourism page.
  6. Health professionals that can teach health & hygiene classes, especially anyone with experience as an educator in women’s health and how to use feminine hygiene products.
  7. Other projects: clean water implementation, solar energy installation, Starlink installation, microfinance implementation for NGOs.
  
  Feel free to also suggest an area that we have not listed above, we are open to all suggestions!
  
  We ask volunteers to help us 5 days / week Monday-Friday, which includes joining Mobile Library on tours to rural villages (3 tours per month). The rest of the time will be spent working on any of the other projects/skill areas mentioned above. You will have the weekends free to explore the area, we can give you plenty of advice and suggestions.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  French: Fluent
  Malagasy: Fluent
  English: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  Education is a big part of the Mobile Library and as such various opportunities arise to not only teach, but also learn language in a cultural exchange setting. In Madagascar, Malagasy is the first language, French the second and English the third.
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  Accommodation

  You will be living in our family house with 8 people including children in a calm but lively environment. Our home is about 16 km (45 min drive) from downtown Antananarivo in the suburbs. The nearest market is just a 30 minute walk or short local mini-bus ride . We offer volunteers a spacious private room on the first floor. There are two toilets, one shower, and a shared kitchen. We will provide all meals when you stay at our house.
  
  Please let us know in advance about your dietary preferences or any allergies. Note that we usually eat rice three times a day. When on tour visiting the villages, the team stays in local homes in the village. If you prefer a more comfortable accommodation with Western standards (e.g. Western toilet), it is possible to arrange lodging w/food and drinks for $45/day.
  
  We typically go on tour during the week from Tuesday-Thursday and spend the rest of the week at our home.

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  What else ...

  In addition to the rural villages we visit with the Mobile Library, it is also possible to visit our Food Forest that utilizes agroforestry methods and features 2 round houses custom designed by Hery, JJ's wife, and built by JJ and team.
  
  There is also the opportunity, depending upon how long you stay, to visit primary and secondary jungles in Madagascar where you can ask just about any question and JJ will be able to give you a real custom tour. Since JJ is a 12 year veteran tour guide you really can't ask for a better way to initiate intimate cultural exchanges and also learn about everything around you no matter how tiny or big.
  
  It is also encouraged to bring gifts with you such as (used) e-readers, feminine hygiene/menstruation products (re-usable pads, menstrual cups or discs), football shoes/jerseys/shorts, solar tech, Wi-Fi tech. There will also be a chance to buy gifts for kids, schools, etc in the city before heading out on tour.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have internet access in our home in Antananarivo, but the internet much harder to access in the countryside when we are on tour and at the Food Forest.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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