In our latest ‘Story from Madagascar,’ to mark
World Lemur Day, we look at the work carried out by MfM and our partners’ in
communities around the Betampona reserve, a vital rainforest habitat home to
Lemurs and other species of Flora and Fauna.
Chronic malnutrition is a major problem in
Madagascar. Like any father, Solo wanted to ensure that his family had enough
food to keep them healthy and strong. With few sources of protein available he
would go hunting for bushmeat such as Lemur to supplement their limited diet. In
the past this was not such a cause for concern as it only occurred on a modest
scale. However, deepening poverty has led to an increase in the hunting of
wildlife both for food and to sell and this is threatening endangered species
even within protected reserves.
Our team in Betampona in the eastern
rainforest has tackled this problem by encouraging families to rear poultry and
pigs so that there is no need for them to hunt for bushmeat. Solo and his
family have benefitted from this support. Now they are the proud owners of
about 50 healthy chickens, providing them with eggs and meat. The team gives them all the advice they need on
housing, feeding and vaccination to ensure that their chickens thrive and keep
providing the family with the protein they need in their diet.
MfM has been funding work in Betampona for over 20 years focusing
on supporting families like Solo’s to improve their livelihoods
whilst living in harmony with their unique environment. In addition to securing
a sustainable food source for local communities, our work has also helped lead
to a noticeable decrease in slash and burn agriculture, and a 26% increase in
the income of those supported by the project over three years which has been spent
on education and health. Projects such as Betampona are a shining example of
how helping communities is vital to protecting Madagascar’s unique wildlife.
To support our work to preserve Madagascar's amazing flora and fauna, and to help people like Solo, visit https://moneyformadagascar.org/make-a-donation/
