Life in a Fokontany

A highlight for us on this assignment was having the opportunity to visit a few of the 35 “Fokontany” included in our project.  Just to explain, a Fokontany or village in this part of Madagascar consists of groupings of homes (10-15) surrounded by the plots of land owned by the individual households. According to the people we have met, having relationships and living in community is the primary ingredient to living well.  

During several of these visits we were invited to attend some focus groups which are conducted to assess the successes or concerns in the project. On our way, we followed sandy/dusty roads with a multitude of cacti growing on both sides of the road. It seems that this is a normal part of the landscape in these desert-like conditions. We experienced even more cacti which had been planted as borders between the fields. After burning off the spikes, cacti can be cut up and fed to oxen. The local people eat the delicious fruit of the cacti which can also be made into jam. We learned that the actual meat of this type of cacti (on the photo) can be eaten and has nutritional and medicinal value.

Over a period of three days, we had the opportunity to sit in on a number of focus groups that targeted specific groups of people.  One consisted of community committee members from several different villages, one was for a group of beneficiaries, and one was for women only. The staff asked for their input on such questions as how was the rice and money helpful to them, how did the project impact their lives, were women empowered by being part of the decision making during the project, did they feel safe travelling with the money, did they have suggestions as to how this project could be improved, etc. Common responses included that they could now buy a variety of foods to add flavour to the rice and to improve their nutrition. Although high school fees were still unattainable, most families could now send their younger children to the nearest village school. Shoes, clothing and other non- food items were appreciated. For some, buying the water needed for survival was complicated by the cost, the distance to the nearest source and the challenge of transporting it. Many have joined a VSLA group as a way to save money or potentially to take a loan to start a new livelihood.

When asked if we could see some of their homes the locals were proud to show us. Most houses are constructed of wood, are very small, and consist of a single room. Some have a lean-to “kitchen” attached for protection from the wind. All have a bed, maybe two if they are fortunate to have a home with two rooms. We did not see any tables or chairs. Many of these small homes provide shelter for large families – frequently including 8 to 12 children. We did spot some make-shift latrines but unfortunately, these are rare – a good opportunity for future development projects.

This project is more than a band-aid solution; it has a plan in place where rather than causing dependance on hand-outs, people are enabled to provide for their families with dignity.

It was very encouraging to see the hard work the families in the fokontany had put into preparing the soil and in planting the cowpea seeds that had been given out by the project at the previous distribution.  Thanks to several recent rainfalls, the cowpeas were sprouting, and hope was expressed that if the rains continue, they will have a harvest of cowpeas in a few months. In February they will receive sweet potato cuttings, ideally planted towards the end of the rainy season. An added blessing is that the leaves of these plants can be eaten while waiting for the potatoes to grow.

A bight shining light in this project is the initiation of VSLA groups.  A VSLA is a self-managed group of 15-25 individual members from within a community who meet regularly to save their money in a safe space, access small loans and to invest in a livelihood opportunity such as for example setting up a small stall to sell food or other items or to help them out in emergencies. 48 groups have been formed. Each group is given careful training, record keeping books, a cash box with 3 locks and 3 keys (each of these are kept by a different person in the group). One of the components of the VSLA is that a small portion of the group’s investment is set aside for benevolence for the needy among the people in their village. One consistent theme shared by the individuals in the focus groups was concern for their neighbors who were also very much in need of assistance but were not included in the project.  Unfortunately, resources are limited and only those most vulnerable were chosen.  

Additional information about VSLAs can be found at https://www.vsla.net

Our midterm report has been completed and submitted.   We are now returning to Antananarivo to SAF/FKJM headquarters to work with the team there to design an end-line survey for February.  We will also help them prepare for a financial review that will be conducted in a few months. 

We leave for home (on Madagascar time) very early on Sunday, December 18^th and amazingly, in spite of two very long flights, will arrive home on the same evening (on Ontario time). We leave humbled, very grateful to God and extremely privileged for this opportunity to serve Him in a unique way. We have been immersed in a totally new and different culture and our eyes have been opened to see the uniqueness of the peoples’ lifestyle, their emphasis on relationships and their thankfulness in all circumstances.

Please pray for a blessing on our remaining work here, for a safe trip home and sufficient rains for bountiful crops for the people we have come to care so much about.