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| Viewing: Stove Building in Madagascar |
Package ID: 1892 |
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| Stove Building in Madagascar |
Madagascar is unique. Isolated for millions of years, the plants and animals of this ancient island are like nowhere else on earth. This project takes you to the heart of one of the major threats to .
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What Difference Does This Project Make?
Improved stoves use 60% less firewood than traditional cooking methods, having a significant positive impact on both forests and livelihoods. Traditional cooking methods also have health implications - typically Malagasy families cook indoors on an open fire, causing chronic chest problems amongst the very young and the elderly. By showing local communities how to build simple stoves using local materials, volunteers will be helping to protect the remaining forest fragments of this biologically rich area as well as helping to improve the health of the families with which they will work.
Highlights
The itinerary, while mainly hard work, also includes a visit to Nahampona Reserve for an up-close-and-personal experience with several species of lemur, and optional excursions to the stunning beaches and islands surrounding Sainte Luce. You will be immersed in the unique Malagasy culture for the entire visit and will see real traditional rural musicians and dancers playing handmade instruments
Location
Set just off the east coast of Africa, Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island and has a colourful and unique human culture as well as breathtaking natural scenery and flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth. The area of Sainte Luce, where volunteers will be based, is a stunning coastal village on the edge of the Indian Ocean surrounded by littoral forests containing abundant wildlife and many unique endemic species.
Field Conditions
Living conditions during the project are simple. Volunteers camp for the duration of the scheme in some of the most beautiful camp-sites in the world. Food is simple, but tasty and nutritionally balanced. Whilst working in Sainte Luce, toilets are 'long drop' and showers are cold; while at the camp-site in Fort Dauphin, conditions are less basic and electricity is available.
The Project
The majority of Madagascar's rural population live in simple one room houses. Traditionally, Malagasy people cook indoors on an open fire - this is the cause of chronic chest problems mainly impacting on the very young and the elderly. Rural communities depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, with the majority of the population dependent on the traditional practice of tavy (slash and burn) and on forests for firewood and timber. Besides being essential to the existence of millions or rural people, Madagascar’s forests are one of the planet’s most significant biodiversity hotspots.
We promote the construction of “improved stoves”, in an effort to reduce both the pressure on the forest and improve the health of local people and the time spent collecting firewood. The stoves promoted are simple and can be made from local materials, namely mud, grass and zebu dung. The stove creates an enclosed cooking space which requires less firewood and shorter cooking times as heat is not dissipated. Health is improved as there is less chance of burns and smoke vents help reduce eye and lung problems. Improved stoves use 60% less firewood, which has a significant positive impact on both forests and livelihoods.
In the coastal village of Sainte Luce, where this project is based, the people are the stewards of two new protected areas of forest, which contain abundant wildlife and many unique endemic species. This program involves working together with local people to build improved stoves for each family in the region.
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