A donation to Money for Madagascar is not wasted on fleets of 4×4’s, glossy ad campaigns or irritating mail-drops. It is sent to the motivated, trustworthy, ingenious people who need it to fund small-scale initiatives which make a lasting difference to communities across Madagascar. The lasting difference comes through Malagasy people helping themselves through sustainable projects and the sharing of practice locally, regionally and nationally.
Malagasy Solutions to Malagasy Problems
Any visitor to Madagascar is sure to be impressed by the resourcefulness and initiative of the Malagasy people. Money for Madagascar manages to produce big results with small sums of money by harnessing the ideas and local know-how of Malagasy people to build lasting, cost-effective solutions. We believe that Malagasy people themselves best understand the issues which affect them and are best placed to find realistic ways of tackling them.
We only fund projects that have been planned and initiated by Malagasy people. Once a project proposal has been accepted by our trustees the money is sent to one of our Malagasy partners and the project is then managed through to completion by local people. All projects are regularly monitored and evaluated by MfM staff to ensure that they are having a positive impact.
Rewarding Resourcefulness
We favour ideas which make the best possible use of available resources and are proud to support projects with an emphasis on recycling and sustainable technologies. These include rainwater harvesting systems, the innovative use of plastic bags and bottles, and the production of charcoal-alternative fuels.
Such solutions help reduce living costs for our beneficiaries whilst helping to address some of the underlying environmental issues plaguing Madagascar.
Community Participation
We work with Malagasy partners who involve and empower their beneficiaries. When funding construction or repair projects we ask, wherever possible that the local community contributes land, labour and what local materials they can gather, such as clay, rocks or river sand to the project.
This not only keeps costs down but also engages the commitment of the local community and authorities in the project and acts as a permanent reminder of what can be achieved through collective action.
Keeping Costs to a Minimum
We strive to ensure that the donations that we receive provide the maximum possible benefit to the people and environment of Madagascar. To achieve this we keep our UK running costs to an absolute minimum, operating using volunteer staff, working from our homes and keeping our postal, printing and administration costs low.
This “no frills” approach can be found in every aspect of our work. We do not pay the salaries and living costs of expatriate staff to manage our projects but instead invest in agencies run by Malagasy staff. When visiting Madagascar, MfM staff eat, live and travel as our Malagasy development partners do. Our partners also play their part – striving to make their projects as cost-effective as possible.
Cymraeg
