News from the school construction

The first week in March, Richard visited the villages asking Mangoky Reserve for support in building schools. There he met the village people and discussed their expectations, their contribution and the next step to be done. Here below Richard gives some impressions from the meetings:

First, we went to Voatovo. The road was very bad, and it took us 11 hours with ox cart to get there from Ambika. Knee-deep mud, flooded paths and pouring rain made the tour very difficult. A big number of elders gathered at Vohitovo for welcoming the representatives from Mangoky Reserve. After the traditional greetings the village spokesman took the floor and explained the reasons for some delays. He promised that they will have set up the wooden pillars for the walls within 3 weeks. However, they don’t know how to fix the corrugated iron sheets to the roof and asked Mangoky Reserve for support.

Also, in Soatanimbary many people gathered. After the greetings I expressed the hope that the school building will start soon, and they will contribute with wood, sand, stones and water – all the same as in the other villages. Then the vice leader of the village took the floor and explained that the school building has not yet started because the people have been waiting for a visit from Mangoky Reserve. He made it clear that they expect a schoolhouse built of concrete blocks as a compensation for the protection of the forest. Their request is understandable, but ultimately a question of the costs.

The last village we visited was Mitahy where they already had started with school building but couldn’t finalise due to lack of funds. Now they are waiting for support from us. We would like to support them since they show a special zeal, but Mangoky Reserve’s financial possibilities are currently very limited; as soon as we have found sponsors, we can extend the school project to Mitahy.