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The Ready Women of Madagascar
The Rain Forest Rescue program is supporting a community-based program in Madagascar that is working to reforest the area and restore the lemur’s natural habitat.
September 21, 2023
More than 1000 local individuals are involved in this tree planting effort—including a women’s association known in the native language of Madagascar as Vehivavy Vonona, which roughly translates to “the ready women.” And these ladies are indeed ready to help make a difference in their community.
This group fills the role of weeding nurseries, prepping compost and transplanting seedlings into reforestation plots. These women, who are single mothers, were struggling to support their families. Now they are making a huge impact in their community, and the project is having profound effects upon their own lives.
Suzanne Boahariva has been a member of Vehivavy Vonona since 2012. She is a mother of seven children, six of whom are now grown. With the income she earns from the reforestation project, she is able to send her youngest to school. Before working on the project, she had some basic knowledge of plants but says, “I have learned even more about germination and fruiting trees.” She has transferred this knowledge to better care for and increase yields from her own garden. Over the course of just two years she has seen the development of the project and the landscape starting to change. “I am excited to see the trees growing so well.”
Enthusiasm for the tree planting effort seems to be infectious. “It is important to protect the environment!” exclaims Elia Rolland Raharinirina. From her experience with the project, she says, “I was able to teach some of my village of Ambalahosy how to plant trees with the skills I learned.” Raharinirina and her fellow women’s association members have learned that trees play an important role in water preservation and soil erosion.
They also understand the disadvantages of slash and burn agriculture that is so common throughout Madagascar. Baotina, another passionate Vehivavy Vonona member, states, “I have started to teach my family about not burning the forest and to protect the environment. I look forward to having more people help me to mobilize my community.”
Many women of the association have expressed interest in working in their respective communities to educate their neighbors on the importance of the program and the need for additional community participation. By taking leadership roles, these women are making a real difference in their community, helping to ensure that trees will cover the landscape for people and wildlife for generations to come.
