Mission statement
Azafady
aims to eradicate poverty, suffering and environmental damage in
Madagascar.
Our mission is to alleviate extreme poverty and protect unique,
biologically rich but greatly endangered forest environments in Madagascar
by empowering some of the poorest people to establish for themselves
sustainable livelihoods and improve their health and wellbeing.
Who are we?
Azafady is an award winning registered charity in England & Wales number
1079121, partnered to an independently registered Malagasy Non-Governmental
Organisation. We currently work on a wide range of projects in the
Anosy and Androy regions of southeast Madagascar. Founded in 1994,
we work with over 80 rural communities & within the urban centre
of Fort Dauphin.
What do we do?
We are a development organisation that
aims to: Raise awareness about the plight of the Madagascan
environment and the Malagasy people; to Empower Malagasy people to
improve their own lives and provide Support to communities and threatened
environments. We work for a better future for people, communities and
the environments in which they live.
Our approach
Our approach is one of co-operation
and participation with grassroots communities working to alleviate
the effects of poverty and to support viable, environmentally-sensitive
development. Our holistic development and conservation projects
support some of the world's most vulnerable people in threatened & irreplaceable
environments. For an introduction to Azafady’s work, please watch
our short film. Although filmed in 2005, this still gives a
good introduction to our work in Madagascar.
Our Goals
We
are working to assist the people of Madagascar to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) as defined in the Government
of Madagascar’s “Madagascar
Action Plan” (MAP), which
is a strategic framework for economic growth and environmental
stewardship, with the aim of reducing poverty by 50%.
We do this by responding to the highest priority needs of communities in the Anosy and Androy Regions in South East Madagascar, so as to contribute to achievement of the MAP objectives and targets in the fields of Sustainable Livelihoods, Health and the Environment, prioritizing our work in communities living near New Protected Areas (NAPs).
At the heart of our work is an integrated approach to the needs of the Malagasy people and their unique environment, sensitively built around what local people have told us are their most critical needs and which maximises community participation. We develop projects using the Sustainable Livelihoods model for poverty reduction, which aims to reduce vulnerability by strengthening communities’ Human, Natural, Financial, Social and Physical assets with a caveat that our projects and activities do not compromise the environment. Projects incorporate communication, training and support at the level of the Fokontany (village) and the household, with a priority for the most isolated and marginalised communities.
Our beliefs- All people are equal
- All people have the right to live a dignified life
- All people should have access to basic health services
- All people should have access to basic education
- All species have an integral 'right' to exist
- The species endemic to southeast Madagascar should be protected from extinction
- A diversity of species is integral to the healthy functioning of eco-systems
- It is vital to maintain the delicate eco-systems in the southeast of Madagascar, for the biodiversity within these eco-systems themselves and the local people who depend on them for survival.
The word Azafady, for those who are
wondering, means ‘please’ in
Malagasy, or more specifically ‘excuse me’….
or even more specifically, it translates as ‘may it not be
taboo to me’.
Malagasy people are extremely polite and can be quite elaborate
in their expressions. The Azafady logo is based on a cross-section
of the seed of Dypsis saintelucei.
This endangered palm species is only found in the Ambatoatsignana
forests where Azafady works with the local community to protect
this endangered environment.
