Extract from an email to friends and family

Dear all,

How are you all? Good I hope and coping with the rubbish weather. How are Christmas preparations going? I’m back from the bush after 4 weeks of being pretty busy. We spent one week on the coast seed collecting and basically saving the rain forest and then headed off to finish the work on the school that was needed. We were ahead of schedule so made the kids a garden too, it looks very nice.

To thank us the villagers threw us a party that went on until dawn, it lasted until 4.30am which was quite some feat. There were children falling asleep on the veranda of the school, they didn’t want us to leave and there were a few tears from them when we left. The whole village came out from the young babes in slings on their mum’s backs to the village elders and their wooden sticks, it was amazing. They borrowed a generator and the music went on extremely late, mind no fear of the police coming to close the party down as everyone was at the party hahaha!!!! The children and the adults in Beandry had never been to school so this is just the beginning for them, they are so excited about getting an education and it made me feel very happy to have been a part of something that I have taken for granted.

We then moved onto a different village Amingavy, where Azafady built a school 2 years ago. I observed the differences in these children immediately, they were certainly healthier. In the morning I watched a group of boys between 8 and 14 walk around the school field picking up leaves, classified as rubbish in their eyes. I was amazed, when I went into class they all stood up and greeted me in French, when I responded they thanked me before sitting down in silence. Out of a class of 25 14 year olds 1 girl got a bit confused with copying the lesson off the board (I taught them 1 to 20 and she copied 1 to 10 twice) I was amazed at their ability, brilliance and sheer desire to learn and improve themselves. The next day we delivered Health and Sanitation lessons (singing about washing your hands before eating etc in Malagasy amongst other things) afterwards I was asked to teach a group of 17 year olds, slightly on the spot or what?? I loved it and they were so pleased to be learning some more English, funny to hear a group of kids talk with your exact accent hahaha!!!! Made me feel very happy!!!

We also have been building economical stoves, basically the Malagasy people have to cut down trees to have fuel ( a HUGE problem and a reason why Eucalyptus trees have been planted here) They use up to 40 pieces of fuel a day which has to be cut down and gathered or bought. These stoves will use only 5 or 6 pieces, 10 if being careless and have a large cooking pot. Each one is made to measure and is made from red soil, zebu poo and sand mixed by hand and yes you guessed it there where no rubber gloves nor hot washing water so we smelt!!! The impact of making the stoves is huge both to the people (they can use them within 2 weeks of being made) and to the environment!!! Excellent and so simple.

While we were in this village a little 3 month old girl died of Malaria, we attended a part of the 3 day funeral and during this time the head of the family came and thanked us for coming, he explained that as part of their extended family doing so much work for them ( we were working in the commune of Mahatalaky which covers all the villages we'd been in) he was especially grateful for us coming to pay our respects and gave us a chicken to apologise for not being able to come and help us make stoves for a few days due to his family needs, well that was me fighting back the tears. I was amazed to see their limitless gratitude and it explained some of the reasons why the kids had so much respect for their school. A lot to be said for not indulging your own children or filling their brains with TV and computer games!

There is so much work to be done in Madagascar, it can be almost overwhelming at times, teaching them English made me feel like the tiny bit I was doing actually was making a difference. I have been in an interview for channel 5 news, about how the credit crunch is effecting Azafady and the work they are doing in Madagascar so Google it, send it to your friends if you can find it ( I don’t know if or when it's being screened but if you can, please do).

I have 2 weeks left with Azafady before free styling around the country which will be amazing and sad too, some of the people here are just fab and I will be sad not to see them for a while at least. We are going to be doing more English teaching and we are doing some gardening for the police and community as well as community mapping (which is normally very interesting) so should now be done with the poo handling and stay clean at least!!!

We depart from Fort Dauphin on Sunday 14th and while in Amingavy the 4 of us travelling visited a Witch Doctor out of curiosity. He told us that we would have a fun trip with no worries about safety, accident or non-positive events occurring, he said we would be strong like men and must just remember everything we have learnt about water safety in Ifaty and Tulear (most peculiar he knew where we were going to) and enjoy the food but not to indulge too much! He was fascinating and I will relive the tale when in the same room as you, just prompt me for details.

The weather is warming up nicely, 34° today, very sunny, must say it pickles your brain a bit to think it is the first day of advent today and I'm in a silk vest and linen skirt and that is too much!!!! All the villagers are fattening up their turkeys, geese, goats and pigs so Christmas dinner won't be that dissimilar to home ( I think)

Well that is quite enough from me, I miss you all loads and think of you often. Stay in touch folks

Love Ruth xxx