http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/news/ News en rod@reefdoctor.org Copyright 2009 2009-04-20T16:01:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_becomes_an_official_partner_to_seagrassnet_the_world_wide_monito/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_becomes_an_official_partner_to_seagrassnet_the_world_wide_monito/#When:16:01:00Z ReefDoctor and Blue Ventures become the First sampling stations for SeagrassNet in MadagascarThe Bay of Ranobe supports extensive seagrass meadows which are valuable contributors of coastal water productivity and act as an important habitat for a large number of organisms. They provide nurseries, shelter and food for a variety of ecologically and commercially important species such as reef fish, turtles and crustaceans. Additionally, seagrass beds stabilize bottom sediments, act as hydrodynamic barriers to reduce wave energy and filter coastal waters of nutrients, contaminants and sediments. As they exist at the interface of terrestrial margins and the world’s oceans, seagrasses are threatened by numerous anthropogenic impacts such as eutrophication, changes in water chemistry/sedimentation, human development and like coral reefs, are also under threat from global climate change. It is therefore important to study and monitor, over time the health of these valuable yet threatened habitats. The main impacts to these meadows in the Bay, is the use of a fishing technique called Beach Seine fishing. This is a process whereby the fishermen (usually those whom have limited fishing experiences as they used to be farmers but drawn to the coast for a better way of life due to the heavily impacted terrestrial environment), place a net (and mostly made of very fine meshed nets, such as mosquito nets, so it catches everything) up to 1km in length attached to people on the shore out over the meadows and then back again forming a large loop. Fishermen then stay inside the net carolling fish to stay within the net as the people on the beach pull the net in, and is usually a family affair with kids and adults participating. This technique causes physical damage to the meadows but at present the biggest impact is it removes the juvenile reef fish species which inhabit the meadows as part of their life cycle, being born on the reef, move to meadows and then back to the reef once they are larger in size. This removal of juvenile species causes huge problems for the regeneration of the reef itself where other reef fishermen are already having problems with reduced availability of their main fish and reduction in sizes. ReefDoctor understood there was a need to first monitor the impact of this fishing on the meadows and also try and stop the beach seine technique. Through ReefDoctors head science officer Mr. Brice Remy-Zephir we contacted SeagrassNet the world monitoring body for the worlds seagrasses to see if they could come and train our staff to undertake proper internationally recoganised protocols and also have this data contribute to the global knowledge of seagrasses. In late August 2007 Dr. Fred Short and his colleagues (phd student Aaren Freeman and Ms. Nikki Sarrette) came and visited us and undertook a week long training season for ReefDoctor staff and also those of Blue Ventures who came down to be trained so that they can implement a surveying post in Andavadoaka and thus becoming the first sampling stations for SeagrassNet in Madagascar. By October 2007, ReefDoctor became an active participant of the global seagrass monitoring network, ‘SeagrassNet’ and by the end of 2008 had successfully completed its first year of seasonal surveys in two of the Bay of Ranobe’s seagrass meadows. By becoming a member of SeagrassNet ReefDoctor and Blue Ventures adopted a global monitoring protocol and along with other SeagrassNet teams worldwide (covering over 23 countries) agreed to conduct synchronous quarterly sampling of the Bay of Ranobe’s seagrass meadows and those in Andavadoaka. There is a lack of information on the status and health of seagrasses worldwide, particularly in less developed regions. The results collected by ReefDoctor are fed directly into SeagrassNet’s web-based data reporting system in order to document the status of the seagrass resources in this region and forming the important first steps in understanding and preserving these productive habitats. The seagrass surveys occur during a two day period, when the tide is at its lowest (during a spring tide) in the months of January, April, July and October and require a concerted effort from the ReefDoctor team to ensure all sampling is conducted in a narrow time frame. Volunteers play an important role in the successful completion of each seagrass survey event so the science team also run seagrass workshops to teach sampling techniques, plant identification, and environmental monitoring. The Seagrassnet monitoring protocol consists of a comprehensive set of surveying and sampling procedures (such as the deployment of temperature/light sensors, specimen collection and processing, quadrat samples, canopy height measurements, photographic analysis, sediment coring, water samples and GPS mapping) which take place across permanently established transects in the seagrass bed, both on foot and by scuba. Naturally, tropical seagrass beds change over time showing important seasonal variations, it is therefore important to develop a clear picture of the status of a seagrass bed in any one season to take into account seasonal variability. The surveys conducted throughout 2007-2008 have provided essential baseline data of the bay’s seagrass beds for each season allowing it to be accurately compared over time with deviations from recorded natural cycles being more easily interpreted. The data will be used to establish the current extent and health of the meadows and, over time will enable the assessment of the impacts of sedimentation, pollution and the local fishing practice of beach seining which is considered to be destructive to these seagrass beds. news 2009-04-20T16:01:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_helps_set_up_u18_sports_association/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_helps_set_up_u18_sports_association/#When:17:49:00Z Achievements so far; U18 boys rugby winning 2007 National Rugby Tournament Madagascar U18 boys rugby winning 2008 Regional championship and National Tournament same year U18 girls rugby placing 3rd National Rugby Tournament Madagascar 2007 U18 girls rugby winning regional tournament and then going on to win the National Rugby tournament of Madagascar 2008In the middle of 2007 ReefDoctor helped one of the local Ifaty villagers and good friend and supporter of ReefDoctors work in the Bay, Mr. Elias Nomenjanahary, to set up an U18 sports association to combat the problems of the young children in the village turning to alcohol, smoking and sexual activities at a young age between 11-13 with 70% of girls reaching 16 having their first child. The village already had an adult rugby and football club which ReefDoctor and the Hotels Nautilus and Lakana Vezo sponsored and in August 2006 the senior team came 3rd in the National Rugby Tournament of Madagascar. The U18 Sports Association of Ifaty was then established to continue the motivation and involvement of the younger generation in these sports activities of rugby and football but also volleyball. ReefDoctor has so far sponsored; - The Adult rugby club with shoes, socks and transport and food for their trip to the National Rugby Tournament of Madagascar in 2006, 2007, 2008 - the U18 boys rugby club with shoes, socks, transport, food and accommodation for regional rugby tournaments and then (upon qualification) for the National Rugby tournament for Madagascar in 2007 and 2008 - the U18 girls rugby club with shirts, socks, shoes, transport and food for the regional rugby tournaments and then (upon qualification) for the National Rugby Tournament for Madagascar (held in the capital city) June 2007 and October 2008 - 5 Rugby and 4 football professional balls for matches and training - wages for 4 local villagers to act as coaches for the rugby, football and volleyball teams and provide training 4 times a week - Volleyball teams (5 in Ifaty) 3 professional volleyballs and prize money for inter-village tournament which started in late 2007 to be held every 3 months. This has resulted in, for a village of only 3000 people; - U18 boys rugby winning 2007 National Rugby Tournament Madagascar - U18 boys rugby winning 2008 Regional championship and National Tournament same year - U18 girls rugby placing 3rd National Rugby Tournament Madagascar 2007 - U18 girls rugby winning regional tournament and then going on to win the National Rugby tournament of Madagascar 2008 - Village volleyball team winning inter-village competition (between 3 villages and players from Toliara) - 280 children signed up to be in the club and 5 local villagers as trainers willing to give their time to train the teams - Mr. Elias being given the opportunity (because of the success of the boys and girls teams) to go to France and Germany in August 2008 along with the Madagascan National team and take part in training workshops for 2 weeks - Mr. Elias then being put onto the coaching team of the National Madagascan Rugby team as deputy head coach and go with the team to Morocco and play in the group tournament for qualification to the Rugby world cup 2010 What the teams and Mr. Elias has achieved is testament to the skills and obvious talent of the children of the village in sporting activities and that given the opportunity they have the ability to achieve great results. The continued support to the club which ReefDoctor currently undertakes with paying salaries to local coaches and trips to tournaments is essential to motivating the children away from drugs and alcohol and more towards a healthier lifestyle. The success of the teams also brings an enormous sense of pride and standing to their families but also to the village as a whole.  ReefDoctor hopes to bring in more funding to continue and improve upon the Ifaty Sports Association by providing more team kits with ReefDoctor/Ifaty U18 club logos, shorts, socks, and proper good quality boots for the football and rugby teams, wages for 5 coaches to train the teams 4 times a week, medical supplies and sports equipment and field equipment for the rugby, football and volleyball. news 2009-04-17T17:49:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_creates_new_reefdoctor_kids_club/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_creates_new_reefdoctor_kids_club/#When:15:58:00Z The main aim of the club is an addition to the marine curriculum implemented into the schools of Ifaty and Mangily to continue to inspire young children to learn more about their marine and terrestrial environments, how they work, what they provide and how they can use sustainable or alternative methods at their disposal. Under the creation and direction of our Environmental education Officers, Mr. Benjamin De Ridder, Miss. Carola Zardo and Miss. Christine Tsima, ReefDoctor set up the first kids club for children aged 6-14 from the village of Ifaty as extra curricula activity and aiding their parents with time off, for children inside and outside the national school system.  The main aim of the club is an addition to the marine curriculum implemented into the schools of Ifaty and Mangily to continue to inspire young children to learn more about their marine and terrestrial environments, how they work, what they provide and how they can use sustainable or alternative methods at their disposal. Information and teaching is done using fun and innovative ways such as excursions, games, music, art, competitions and general structured classes. The club was initially started for school children learning the curriculum in the primary public schools starting on a monthly basis between 2005 and 2006 bring children onto the ReefDoctor site to see our work in action and taking practical lessons given by science officers on the marine environment along the shoreline. As enthusiasm for the club grew and the curriculum (though needing revision), was being implemented with good feedback from teachers, pupils and parents, ReefDoctor brought in the new Environmental Education officers to revamp the curriculum, undertake more teacher training and workshops and create the club into a proper weekly club for any children wishing to join. With the finalised revamping of the curriculum and establishment of weekly art, music and theatre classes alongside this curriculum undertaken by Stephan and Nad from the Ecole du Meavreieux our collaborative partners, the kids club was officially opened for children from the ages of 6-14 from Ifaty and Mangily village in early June 2007. To date there are a total of 40-50 children how taking part every Sunday in educational activities, games, general reading, writing skills and art with a focus on the environment of the area. There are 3 areas we are hoping we can bring in funding to aid the continued motivation of the children to be involved in the club, increase their educational opportunities and stay in school; 1) Kids club competitions - competitions in art and environmental education are held every 3 months and for the winners and runners up we are looking for funds to provide art materials, school materials and general reading books 2) Excursions - kids who regularly attend, to be taken on excursions to the reef, forest, other villages, national parks, every 3 months 3) Uniforms – provide 25 regular attendees with a ReefDocto kids club uniform a ReefDoctor t-shirt (with the addition of Kids Club), matching shorts and sandals. These simple additions which would only cost 800 euros for the year would provide massive motivation for kids to participate in educational activities providing them with as much opportunities and information to help them cope with their ever changing environment and societies. news 2009-04-17T15:58:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_implements_new_curriculum_for_ifaty_and_mangily_primary_public/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_implements_new_curriculum_for_ifaty_and_mangily_primary_public/#When:20:40:00Z ReefDoctors new curriculum has a focus on the marine environment with particular examples on the coral reef system of the Bay of Ranobe and Madagascar in general.Since 2005 ReefDoctor has been trying to implement a specific curriculum into the public school system to teach children ages 8-12 about their marine and associated environments and how to use these resources from these environments more sustainably. Implementing a curriculum into the school systems is the best way to create a longer term foundation of education on the marine environment and sustainable resource utilisation for each village in the Bay of Ranobe. Teaching the children will mean that they will teach their parents what they have learnt. Our first attempts at putting a specific marine curriculum into the school system was by us working with another NGO called Aid and Action who created a pilot marine curriculum for the SW schools system of the Tulear region alongside WWF, the ministry of Education, the education boards for Toliara (DREN and CISCO) and another German NGO called GTZ. ReefDoctor managed to involve the public primary schools of Ifaty and Mangily and sent 4 teachers from these schools (2 from Ifaty and 2 from Mangily) to the training and workshops held by the head of environmental education for CISCO, Mr. Calvin between June and August 2005. This curriculum was then implemented into the schools in September 2005 for the school year till June 2006 and throughout this time ReefDoctor continued to work with the teachers and provide feedback to Aid and Action.  After the year’s pilot project there where some issues which restricted the teaching of the curriculum, the main issues where; - Teachers had little understanding or previous knowledge of basic biology, marine environment and no knowledge of the Vezo tribe and their fishing techniques - Training and workshops only talked about the curriculum and the lesson plans, the teachers where not taught the basics - Teachers where just repeating the curriculum lesson plans - The teachers did not have copy of curriculum or any materials for themselves or for the pupils, teachers where using their notes from workshops! - Due to teacher shortage in all public schools, the curriculum could only be taught once a week for 10 minutes when a break in national curriculum allowed it These where some serious issues with implementing any new subject/curriculum into the public school system and though ReefDoctor with the schools gave feedback to Aid and Action the project was only a pilot project for one year and would be no longer continued. With this information and with continued support from the Ifaty and Mangily schools and children ReefDoctor decided to set up its own marine curriculum using the past curriculum as a guide and other curriculums attained from our own research. Benjamin de Ridder and Carola Zardo ReefDoctors new Environmental Education Officers where hired to undertake this project from the end of 2006 and after only 3 months research and curriculum creation they where ready to start training and workshops for Ifaty, Mangily Tsevenoe and Amboaboaka teachers between January and August 2007. ReefDoctors new curriculum has a focus on the marine environment with particular examples on the coral reef system of the Bay of Ranobe and Madagascar in general. Main subjects covered are; - General environment and ecology - Oceans and the marine environments - Littoral (coastal) environments - Mangroves - Coral reefs - Human impacts - How to use the resources from the marine and coastal environments more sustainably In addition the curriculum was created from the feedback taken from the Aid Action pilot project and to address the main issues we; - Taught the teachers the basics from the marine and associated environments to the Vezo tribe their culture and history and their fishing gear, which are bad and which are good and what new techniques can be used, plus simple sustainable resource utilisation practices - Each teacher was given the curriculum, lesson plans and posters - Materials where given to the pupils, mainly lesson plans question sheets for each pupil and per 5 pupils a small booklet of images relating to subject maters in the curriculum - The curriculum lessons where integrated into the national curriculum so questions from it could be simply added into the national curriculums of natural science and geography, so no need to create a new class and thus time slot to teach it. - Teachers will be given bi-monthly workshops throughout the school year teaching them more about the curriculum, taking feedback and helping them create new lesson plans for each following month. In addition to the training and workshops, specific parts of the curriculum where piloted into the schools of Ifaty and Mangily from March till June so that teacher-pupil feedback could be given and seen (ben and Carola attended all classes done once a week) before it was implemented fully to all schools for the school year Sept 07 to June 08. During March and June there was great feedback from the kids on these new class and also ReefDoctor taught the children attending the ReefDoctor kids club some of the themes, so some children where being taught the curriculum twice a week. From a socio-economic survey undertake in April it was clear that the children where telling their parents about what they had learnt. However as the parents stated in the survey and to their children, ‘yes we know there is a problem but to solve it we need alternatives to bring in money and food for our children and the main problem to that is we only know how to fish’ On September 2007 the new curriculum under the backing and authorisation of the education Ministries of Toliara DREN and CISCO, was officially implemented into the schools of Ifaty and Mangily for classes 8-12 and unfortunately due to lack of funding (for workshops attendance and materials) the schools of Tsevenoe and Amboaboaka could not for this school year implement the curriculum. This curriculum will be taught to some 300 pupils from both schools and will start on the longer term foundation of teaching the children, the future bread winners, to understand their environment better and know of ways they can manage and use the precious resources in a more sustainable manner. The information the children pass onto their parents and from ReefDoctors and FIMIHARA’s continued sensibilisation work and involvement of these communities with the creation of more MPAs and no take zones, will aid in the general education of the population. ReefDoctor hopes to generate more funding to involve and train more teachers and schools so that all schools in the Bay in each village has a marine/environmental curriculum. news 2009-04-15T20:40:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/ifaty_village_now_has_an_association_for_women_fimitami/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/ifaty_village_now_has_an_association_for_women_fimitami/#When:20:26:00Z The association will also allow entrepreneurial women from the association (with ReefDoctors guidance and training) undertake potential new business ideasThrough talks with ReefDoctor and the President of Ifaty village it was decided to create a Women’s Association. A meeting of all the women in the village was held in the local school and the reason for creating the association explained and the positions filled by voting. The bureau (or committee) who represent the association, comprises of one president, two vice-presidents, two secretaries, two treasurers, two account auditors and two advisers. The association has 80 members and now a legal standing which means that they may be eligible to apply for grants from either government or non-governmental sources. The Women’s Association will help decide alongside FIMIHARA where to spend funds generated from the Rose Garden Marine Protected Area and will also act as a point of contact in the village for community development projects. Presentations about health and hygiene, 1st Aid and Sexually transmitted diseases prevention are underway. The association will also allow entrepreneurial women from the association (with ReefDoctors guidance and training) undertake potential new business ideas such as, bakery through solar ovens, help with subsidised rice flour for making mokary and sale of local honey to tourists and hotels and small shops selling local handicraft such as embroidery table cloths etc.. These are just a few of the ideas being explored to help generate new business practises and incomes. Gerald Stewart, project coordinator at ReefDoctor, says, “Alternative incomes relieve the pressure on people to catch fish no matter what”. “With family incomes diversified over a number of different areas, it is possible for them not to fish when the weather is bad and when fish catches are suffering but still generate income for their families”. Future plans include animal husbandry classes to help improve the quality of village livestock. In particular, villagers are keen to improve growth rates in their pigs to gain higher incomes from their sale. news 2009-04-15T20:26:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_and_rotary_club_tricastin_help_ifaty_primary_school_september_07/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_and_rotary_club_tricastin_help_ifaty_primary_school_september_07/#When:22:57:00Z Due to government budget cuts for the 2007 school year, the school (and all schools in the region) was in desperate need of standard school materials for the children and teachers.Since the first collaborative project with Rotary to repair the Ifaty public primary schools food storeroom and canteen area, the continued interest from Rotary members in helping the Ifaty school and Ifaty children has grown. Rotary held another fair, selling items from rice to t-shirts, pens and a few locally made Malagasy handy craft to raise money for new school materials for the Ifaty school and they managed to raise 300 euros. Due to government budget cuts for the 2007 school year, the school (and all schools in the region) was in desperate need of standard school materials for the children and teachers. ReefDoctor spent the 300 Euros on much needed materials for teachers for teaching the standard curriculum courses and we bought the best quality materials available to ensure they last in the hot and humid conditions. Purchased items included; - chalk of all colours, pens, pencils, colouring sets, - blackboard – rulers, set squares, triangles, compasses - administration paper and copy sheets - large paper for work - few text books - note books for all students and teachers And much more, thus providing materials for all classes for all the 320 pupils for 2007 through to 2008 school year. We hope that these small fundraising events can be continued to help the school and other schools in the Bay provide the standard class materials that the regional government is finding hard to achieve and hopefully provide more school materials to create a more fully functional and inspirational learning environment.  news 2008-11-16T22:57:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/official_creation_of_the_fishermens_association_fimihara/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/official_creation_of_the_fishermens_association_fimihara/#When:21:26:00Z FIMIHARA (FIkambanana MIaro sy HAnasoa ny RAnomasina - Association to protect and enhance the marine environment) The first ever collaboration of so many villages and people coming together under one banner to protect their own environment and futureSince early 2005 ReefDoctor has been helping the villages of Ifaty and Mangily understand how their practices affect the availability of their resources, begin exploring ways to improving fishing catches by using more sustainable methods and alternative usages of their marine ecosystem. By late 2006 in a meeting with over 60 locals representing the main families and village elders and Presidents from these two villages it was agreed that the two villages should jointly create an association to undertake projects, help enforce rules and regulations and thus empowering themselves to protect and manage their own resources and environment. President of Ifaty, Bruno said: “We need to look to the future and manage our fishing effort to ensure that we are making the most of the resources that we have.” However with ReefDoctors continued collaboration building with other NGO and governmental Organisations and with further meeting and workshops with the Ifaty and Mangily villagers by the end of 2006, it was decided to bring all the villages in the Bay into this one association as all villages utilise the resources from the same lagoon reef system. After a further 6 months of presentations, discussions, meetings, workshops and rapport establishment in late May the villages of the Bay where ready to come together and elect a board of directors to represent them in this new Association. Over 100 people representing the 14 main villages in the Bay of Ranobe came to ReefDoctors to hold the elections alongside Dr. Edaly the Director of the Direction Regional du Development Rural, Dr. Chrystophe the Director of the Ministry of Fisheries of Toliara, SAGE (Service d’Appui Gestion de l’Environnement) the IHSM (Marine Institute of Madagascar) and some Hotel owners. The villagers present voted for one president, two vice presidents, two secretaries and one treasurer for the main board. Alongside them will be the members of a series of commissions to carry forward the work of the association with two people elected per commissions for; maintenance, security and materials; control; community projects; information and communication; technical and science (science commission mainly run by ReefDoctor with techniques to be taught to local fishermen/women to undertake). This new fishermen’s association is called FIMIHARA (FIambanana MIaro sy HAnasoa ny RAnomasina) which means Association for the Protection and Conservation of the Ocean. The main objectives of FIMIHARA are as follows : • Provide a voice for all who have an interest in the future of the Bay of Ranobe • Improve the quality of life of those who live and work along the Bay of Ranobe • Work together to conserve marine and terrestrial natural resources for future generations • Improve knowledge and understanding of the natural environment for all However due to limited finances to visit all the villages in the Bay and to cover the costs for more people to come to these elections from other villages the main board has a majority of its members from Ifaty and Mangily though it does have representatives of 5 other villages in the Bay. ReefDoctor hopes to continue its expansion of work with the other villages in the Bay through FIMIHARA and its joint activities and in a years time hold new elections for the Board with more community involvement and representation. This is the first time in the history of the Bay that these communities have come together under one banner to protect and manager their environment and resources which needs a new way of thinking and understanding by the local population which will take time to achieve. But with this new association and involvement of more and more people of the Bay together we can spread the message and empower more people to take hold and protect their futures. After the elections the association FIMIHARA was officially created and recognised by the Local, Regional and National governments on the 7th June 2007. The associations first tasks will be to put measures and practises in place for the management and dispersal of funds from the planned marine reserve to be set up around the Rose Garden, the first community protected area in the Bay of Ranobe. The association already has a number of additional projects to start working on after the Rose garden in the wider bay: octopus fishery management, banning beach seine fishing, setting up an association of pirogue tourist operators, more reef sites protected, training forest guides and artisanal product development and marketing.  ReefDoctor will continue to help FIMIHARA undertake administrative procedures such as running and recording meetings, setting up and running bank accounts, creating funding budgets and financial audits and to provide advice, funding and support such as staff time and transport and encouraging broader more strategic thinking. To be finally in a few years time a self sufficient, community controlled association with the people, Malagasy scientists and scientists from ReefDoctor and outside, all working towards a more sustainable yet developing future.  news 2008-11-16T21:26:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_collaborates_with_ades_to_bring_solar_ovens_to_ifaty_may_07/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/reefdoctor_collaborates_with_ades_to_bring_solar_ovens_to_ifaty_may_07/#When:19:21:00Z First Use of Solar Ovens in whole Bay of RanobeCharcoal is the only source of fuel for all cooking needs here in S.W Madagascar and looking for an alternative is important as deforestation is a huge threat to the environment. Deforestation in Madagascar is destroying many endemic habitats, scarring the landscape and leaving the land vulnerable to large scale soil erosion; the majority of this deforestation is for fire wood to make charcoal. To help with this issue (which ultimately affects the reef through sediment run-off) and also help families save money, ReefDoctor collaborated with ADES, a Swiss organisation looking to increase the use of solar power in Madagascar. ReefDoctor purchased 3 solar ovens to cook all of ReefDoctors food using solar power. The ovens expand the options for cooking; bread and cakes can now be baked alongside the traditional Malagasy meals of rice, beans and vegetables. The ovens do have a limitation for cooking breakfasts and so ReefDoctor bought two efficient wood burning stoves (no charcoal) to cook breakfasts. After recipe experimentation and training of ReefDoctor staff, ADES and ReefDoctor showed the ovens to the people in the village, through the Women’s Association, cooking bread, cakes, mokary, and there was a great response to people wanting to eat the food and then use these ovens. Although it is recognized that the ovens cannot replace charcoal completely as they cannot be used to cook breakfast, ADES say that charcoal usage can be reduced by half.  We hope that by reducing our demand for charcoal we are helping the environment in a small way and also leading by example. Old habits are hard to change and charcoal has been used here for cooking for centuries. Through adoption by our Malagasy cook and her family for their food as well as ours and through weekly workshops with the women’s association we aim to inspire confidence in the new technology for other villagers to take up. So far ReefDoctor has helped 17 families with interest free loans to purchase one oven per family. These ovens are being used for the families’ daily meals and also for making cakes which they sell at night in the village. news 2008-11-16T19:21:00+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/rotary_club_tricastin_and_reefdoctor_collaborate_to_help_the_ifaty_primary/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/rotary_club_tricastin_and_reefdoctor_collaborate_to_help_the_ifaty_primary/#When:18:51:01Z Thanks to the dedicated work of Michel Rostaing one of the trustees of the ReefDoctor charity, the ReefDoctor project in Madagascar combined forces with the Rotary club of Tricastin from the South France to help improve the Ifaty primary schools facilities and materials for the school children. Thanks to the dedicated work of Michel Rostaing one of the trustees of the ReefDoctor charity, the ReefDoctor project in Madagascar combined forces with the Rotary club of Tricastin from the South France to help improve the Ifaty primary schools facilities and materials for the school children. The Ifaty primary school and other primary schools in the area are very much under funded and in poor condition with poor facilities and materials for children and teachers. The average village public primary school has one or two buildings (10x20m of standard design going back to the early 1980s) making up 2-4 classrooms which house between 200-360 pupils of 45-65 pupils per class and usually only have 3-4 teachers for all classes and pupils. ReefDoctor has been working with the primary school of Ifaty since early 2003 conducting school repairs, providing materials and hiring teachers to ease the burden of the few teachers for so many children. In 2003 the Ifaty primary school had 4 teachers which included the headmaster and since 2004 ReefDoctor in collaboration with the education ministry of Toliara CISCO II and DREN has hired and paid for 4 additional teachers for the school. After much discussion and agreement with the rotary members and ReefDoctor in late 2006 a new collaboration with the club was created for the long term aid to the Ifaty primary school and also plans for all the other primary schools in the Ranobe area. Primary schools are not only the main focus of education for the local communities children they are also a heaven for children and parents as the schools provide food (lunch) every school day. The food is given by the WFP (World Food Program –UN) on a 3 year contract, i.e. so long as the food storeroom is kept in a suitable position the schools receives the help. This is hugely important as it helps families provide the necessary food for their children which recently has been getting harder and harder for (whom have an average of 5 children per family) as their marine environment of the Bay area has continued to degraded. The first project in this new collaboration was a repair and rejuvenation project focusing on the Ifaty primary school with the primary school of Mangily being the next on the list for 2008. The repair project started in March 2007 where 600Euros was raised by the members of Rotary through a sale of food products and rotary and ReefDoctor pens and t-shirts during the Christmas fair in Avigion. The money raised was mainly put towards the schools ailing food storeroom which had been repaired by ReefDoctor in 2006 but still need more work to stop the rats and mice eating the food and water entering the room during the cyclone season. ReefDoctor repaired the roof and structure but the building did not have a flour, its walls where bare brick and infestations of mice, rats and insects (mainly cockroaches) and though the roof and door had been repaired they where still in need of new doors with a secure lock and re-fixing the roof to stop water entering the room. Using the local construction team of Mr. Elias from Ifaty village (all work men from Ifaty) started on the repairs in early March 2007 and took a month to undertake. For 600euros (materials and transport from Toliara) the roof was re-laid with brand new tined roof (thicker to last longer due to salt water spray as the school land is only 50m from the sea) and sealed properly to prevent water intrusion. The walls inside and out where properly sealed with plaster and painted white. New cement flour was added and all holes sealed and disinfection of the building before the food was replaced. And finally a new door with lock was added and painted blue. The old roofing from the storeroom was put onto the canteen area as the pervious roof was full of holes after only a year due to erosion from saltwater spray. In addition new wood was bought to replace the old wood for the benches inside the canteen and a new door was put onto the kitchen room. ReefDoctor spent an additional 200euros on labour and food (twice a day). The repair of the school also helped the local economy as all labourers (6) where from Ifaty, a local shop was used to supply them with their daily meals and all materials where transported to Ifaty from Toliara by Ifaty owned taxi brousses (public buses mainly a truck with seats). An official opening of the new storeroom was held by the school and village president who thanked ReefDoctor and Rotary for their kind donation to the school and said that since westerners had been in the area (hotels) they had never received any real help until ReefDoctor and now Rotary came here and hoped the collaboration between the community and us would continue for the future. Since the repair of these buildings the WHO returned to Ifaty in late June 2007 to check up on the state of the food storeroom, kitchen and canteen as per the contract for the food. The members of the WHO where highly impressed with the repairs, mainly the storeroom which they said was the best of any village in the area by far and the contract (so food) was re-instated for another 3 years. The provision of food to the children is highly important to attract kids to go to school and since the 2006 and this repair to the school for the very first time 4 children from the school passed their exams to be accepted into secondary school. This has never happened before and we hope with continued focus on the school with the aid of Rotary each year more children can go to secondary school and if possible be aided financially to ensure they finish. news 2008-10-30T18:51:01+00:00 http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/official_opening_of_rose_garden_marine_protected_area_june_07/ http://www.reefdoctor.org/index.php/rd/news/official_opening_of_rose_garden_marine_protected_area_june_07/#When:18:06:00Z Opening of marine protected area in the 'Rose Garden'As of June 2007 the ‘Rose Garden’ a small patch reef and its associated seagrass bed covering an area of 200m x 200m within the lagoon reef system of the Bay of Ranobe was given official protected status by the regional government of Toliara, the Ministry of Fisheries of Toliara, the Ministry of regional development (DRDR) and all the 11 Fokotanys (village heads) of all the villages in the Bay of Ranobe under the new fishermens association FIMIHARA (FIkambanana MIaro sy HAnasoa ny RAnomasina - Association to protect and enhance the marine environment). The creation of this first marine protected area in the Bay and Toliara region was spear headed by the fishermens association FIMIHARA alongside the direction of ReefDoctor, the IHSM (Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines) and SAGE (Service d’Appui à la Gestion de l’Environnement). FIMIHARA and the Fokotanys of Ifaty and Mangily will head the protection and alongside ReefDoctor and the IHSM, the management and monitoring of this First protected area. The opening was marked by an official meeting held at the University of Toliara research station (the main base of ReefDoctor next to the village of Ifaty) with attendance of the head of DRDR Dr. Edaly, representatives of SAGE and the FIMIHARA board representing all 11 Fokotanys in the Bay and the men and women of the villages of Ifaty and Mangily whom will be most responsible for adhering to the rules and regulations of the protection of this patch reef. With the support of the local authorities and the ORTO (Association of Tourism for Toliara Province) the Rose Garden will be a marine park whereby tourists whom wish to visit the reef for snorkelling or diving purposes will have to pay an entry fee of 2000MGA or 1.5Euros per person. This money collected, through the sales of tickets from hotels, by FIMIHARA members will be put towards community development projects being developed by ReefDoctor and FIMIHARA for the benefits of firstly the villages of Ifaty and Mangily and also for other projects with the other 10 villages in the Bay of Ranobe. Though expected financial generation through this marine park will be limited due to its size and seasonal visits of tourists, it will set precedence to other villages in the Bay of the need to protect their reefs and show how benefits can be generated through such reef protection schemes over a very short period of time. To aid the protection of the Rose Garden, FIMIHARA through ticket revenues and starting donation by ReefDoctor, has hired a guardian to be present on the site daily to collect tickets and also ensure fishermen do not fish there and no anchoring of any boat or pirogue. As the area is a no anchor area 6 mooring buoys have been put into place by FIMIHARA members and western dive club operators, Richard Paper of grand Blu and Jean-Pierre of Mangily Hotel with the financial contribution for this coming from Mr. Paper and Reefdoctor. The area has also been marked out by 4 buoys kindly donated to FIMIHARA by the company Trajectoire the main mechanical repair and sales business in Toliara and FIMIHARA kindly thanks Mr. Bernard the manager of Trajectoire for this kind donation. Under the collaboration and guidance of the ORTO with FIMIHARA and ReefDoctor posters and leaflets explaining the purpose, rules and regulations of the park where given to all hotels in the Ranobe area and all Hoteliers have agreed to collaborate with FIMIHARA in the protection and good governance of the park the first such agreement between westerners and local communities in the Ranobe Bay area.  news 2008-10-30T18:06:00+00:00