© WWF MWIOPO

TOGETHER, PROMOTING YOUTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REPORT

2013

Education Education for Sustainable Development: Environmental activities in schools

Madagascar possesses a very rich and unique requires the mobilization and commitment of biodiversity and a wealth of natural resources all for sustainable development. Young serving an ecological, social and economic people represent 50% of the Malagasy role for the well-being of the Malagasy population and they will play a major role in population. However, this biodiversity is preserving this natural capital, which highly threatened by human activities and guarantees economic and social development for the future. © WWF MWIOPO Since 1992, WWF works with schools in mobilizing young people to act positively towards the environment through the Vintsy environment clubs. Over the past two years, the actions of environment clubs are no longer confined to their schools but also involve young people who are not attending schools and the whole community.

Harvesting Peas of Bambara at the CEG Fandriana

1 © WWF MWIOPO

Support from – WWF in 2012 2013 January 2012: of the capacity building members of the Vintsy clubs on how to organize their association and to strengthen their sense of belonging to a young people’s movement; Since April 2012: support in the founding and for the activities of the two networks of the Vintsy clubs in the Ranobe landscape (Toliara II district) and in the Forest corridor Fandriana-Vondrozo landscape (former province of ); Since June 2012: offering grants and technical support for carrying out environmental and educational activities by young people; October 2012: exchange and discovery visits organised for the 35 target schools; September 2012: directing schools towards education for sustainable development Periodic printing of the Vintsy magazine to strengthen the knowledge of its readers and raise their awareness on the environment. for their future energy needs and to fill in the gap left by current logging and activities (ii) decorative plant species to beautify their school their precinct, homes and create villages, shade in the playground particularly in

© WWF MWIOPO 2 into practice and improve into practice and young their skills, teach to educate people to get used their their peers, to voice mobilize the opinion and to community. • to put Educational activities the dry regions, (iii) indigenous (iii) indigenous the dry regions, species for reforestation, to fill their arboretum and strengthen fruit trees (iv) their knowledge, learn about to awaken curiosity, fruits and to eat them during the season for their own enjoyment or for the school canteen. Taking care of the seedlings in nurseries with their hands an emotional gradually weaves bond between the young people, Students the trees and nature. now feel responsible for forest, and jealously protect their plantation and the reforestation site.

enhance the knowledge and enhance the knowledge people and to skills of young of exercise their sense act positively responsibility to of for the preservation biodiversity;

activities to Environmental The plants in the nursery were chosen by the students themselves based on their (i) fuel wood specific priorities: Students have become aware of the importance of different functions of trees and forests for their present and future well-being. A nursery has been set up at each school in order to (i) teach young people the techniques and practices on how to take care of a nursery and how to plant the seedlings (ii) to ensure that seedlings are available for the reforestation campaign. • Target schools and environment clubs and environment Target schools specific out two have carried activities: Building a nursery ground at Vondrozo Building a nursery at ground

Setting up nursery ground Nature of the activities Nature The making and the promotion of improved stoves

The use of improved stoves has a tangible techniques of stoves with semi-open fire and impact on reducing the use of fuel wood. stoves with closed fire. Each family of the WWF, local actors such as the Cultural and students use every day the improved stoves Educational Centre for the Environment contributing to save 1572 ha of forest. (CCEE) as well as the coaches have supervised the making of improved stoves by Then, through demonstration sessions in the students. Presently, 2652 members of the market places and thanks to testimony of targeted Vintsy clubs master the production parents on the socio-economic and environmental benefits of the product, the © WWF MWIOPO/Germund Sellgren whole community is now beginning to use the improved stove. Students continue to promote this practice in the households of the commune. In Vondrozo for example, Fitzgerald and his friend were able to sensitize households in their village and have made 22 stoves upon their request, they added to this a small training on how to maintain and produce the stoves to guarantee a sustainable use.

Building an improved stove for the "mokary" at CEG Belalanda - Toliara II

The making and the promotion of cooking briquettes © WWF MWIOPO/Germund Sellgren Parents are constantly making reducing households’ expenses orders for cooking briquettes to on fuel wood, making sure that students. These latter make kitchens are clean and them when they do not have effectively contributing to the classes and during school fight against deforestation. holidays abiding by a distribution of tasks established The production of the students and respected by all in order to is primarily for the use of their allow each student to take part families; whatever remains is and improve their performance. sold. Three briquettes cost 100 In two months of work, the high MGA and provide cooking for a school in Mahazony (District of household’s meals for two days ) produced a bag of because they are reused at least 50 kg of briquettes. twice depending on their composition. The use of the The demand has gone up. The revenues differs depending on secondary school of Belalanda the aspirations and priorities of in the district of Toliara II students: buying school regularly receives orders of 500 supplies, purchasing briquettes per week from the agricultural equipment, city of Toliara I. Indeed, the contribution to the salaries of cooking briquettes have the teachers, ... Drying the cooking advantage of significantly briquettes

3 © WWF MWIOPO/Tony Rakoto © WWF MWIOPO/Germund Sellgren Dressmaking workshop at Dressmaking at workshop CEG - Ambalavao Basketry at Lycée Mahazony Mahazony Basketry Lycée at - Ambalavao

discovered for the first time peas and for the first discovered first to sell they were the eggplants, these Obviously, at the market. vegetables each up with pride vegetablestudent has taken for demonstrationgardening at home and for household consumption. coached andInitially, few teachers the helped gardening plots. Butstudents in their now, results, everyonegiven the very positive is together, experimentinvolved, learn with of biological controlnew techniques of insects and fertilization using local resources, etc. The orchard, food crops and market a gardening help students to learn green job orthat is profitable while preserving resources.improving the quality of natural peopleThese activities also allow young to spend their free time in the villages where gambling.leisure is limited to alcohol and 4

© WWF MWIOPO products and / or crops for example is agreed upon among sale, collectively students: consumed or distributed per is The same person / household. also true for the use of revenues. for example, In Miarinaravatra revenues from the sale of crops harvested helped students to contribute to paying the salary of Other substitute teachers. students bought school supplies, or gardening sports equipment These equipment. income-generating activities have thus sustained the motivation of young people who have constantly enjoyed the fruits of their labour; these also strengthen their pride and sense of belonging.

Education and income generating activities Education and income Students learned new farming techniquesStudents learned new farming and learned to grow according to standards and based on the climatic and geological Incharacteristics of their commune. addition, andthey also discovered the existence the thattaste of some fruits and vegetables can Vondrozoeasily grow in their climate. In for haveexample, high school students Vegetable gardening and micro irrigation system irrigation system and micro gardening Vegetable Vondrozo at Lycée In addition, students have students have In addition, learned to make decisions in a democratic way: the choice of the activities to be undertaken, distribution of tasks, equitable distribution of equitable The destination of the benefits. The objective of these activities The objective of these activities is mainly to educate young people on entrepreneurship. the income generated However, regardless of by the activities, helps how little they are, students and clubs to sustain their activities. Entrepreneurship culture is currently established among they want to those students: to enjoy their success succeed, and be proud of them. Orchards, food crops and market gardening crops and food Orchards, Adoption of environmental values through the activities of the Vintsy clubs

Since 1992, WWF has promoted Vintsy friends and even to the general public. environment clubs at schools. Nearly 800 Finally, the last acquired values and not the clubs are currently active in primary, least are the respect for life, respect for secondary and high schools and 15 in the others, respect for the environment and higher education. In the beginning, Vintsy consequently the understanding of a clubs were clubs gathering children and common heritage. Club members young people who were nature lovers and themselves say that they do not kill animals who wished to commit to preserving the for pleasure and that they respect life in environment. Over the years, the club has general. Vintsy club members have become become an important means for educating more respectful towards others, towards children and young people on the common heritage such as infrastructure and environment and, through their natural resources. environmental and educational activities, a means for educating young people on key Moreover, acquiring these values has led to a environmental values. change in attitude and behaviour among Vintsy club members. One example is The results of the evaluations carried out in volunteering, a testimony to a flawless November 2011, April 2012 and June 2013 altruism. They have learned to carry out an have confirmed that there is a significant action for fun, for a nobler cause than to earn difference between students who are Vintsy money. According to what they say, their club members and students who are primary source of motivation is simply the non-members. Parents and teachers have moral satisfaction of having done an action witnessed the acquisition of new values, new for the planet, guaranteeing a better future attitudes and practices after students joined and the enjoyment of the benefits of the the club. actions undertaken.

The first environmental value that the As a consequence of the volunteering spirit, students have acquired is none other than the Vintsy club members have become more responsibility. Not only are they always astute in class. They have come to like work, ready to take up some responsibility but they have a thirst for knowledge and skills.

also feel responsible for their future, for their © WWF/MWIOPO environment. Parents also noted that they have become more responsible, very active, and spontaneous in taking up responsibility, they like to contribute to something.

The second value they have acquired is solidarity and collaboration. These values have taught the students to think of others in their actions, think about future generation for all consumption and uses of resources. Thus, Vintsy clubs have acquired the habit of giving advice to their peers, sharing their knowledge and skills to their

5 The benefits for schools •

In addition to being more embellished and adopted new more participatory teaching WWF MWIOPO 2013 REPORT cleaner, schools have also benefited from practices, to the delight of students who are the impact of the environmental activities enjoying their learning experience. conducted by the students within and Coaching the students led to the acquisition of outside of the school precinct. managerial skills such as planning, management, The role of young educator well monitoring, supervision for some, but also some

established within the community leadership skills for others. • The actions undertaken by the students in Solidarity and more commitment to their community, such as the education of school life the younger children and young people who • Environmental activities have strengthened team are out of school, have created a greater spirit and solidarity between teachers and appreciation and recognition of the mission administrative staff. Everyone feels responsible of schools. Parents are aware of the for the development of the school; they organize importance of educating children in schools together the coaching of the student and come because the acquisition of knowledge and back to class, on a voluntary basis, when they do skills as well as changes in attitude are not have classes. Teachers help the tangible. Authorities have more trust in administrative staff in the management of the teachers and students for the organization school and in the supervision of students. of various community events or to just lend them sound equipment. Eco-management The school has become a demonstration and As environment preservation is part of the learning site for new farming or culture within schools, sensible management of conservation techniques for the community: resources is among the priorities for the micro-garden, micro-irrigation, direct management, teachers and students. During this sowing over a vegetation cover, water time of crisis when operating budget is very management, waste management, soil limited, this culture helps schools to equip management, ... teachers with the necessary teaching materials. Students have learned for example to take care Skills and motivation of teachers and repair, without being asked to, the damaged strengthened furniture and school equipment. The various training sessions and their In short, the school facility plays an important application in class have strengthened the role for improving the living conditions of knowledge and skills of teachers. everyone for a sustainable development. Recognizing the importance of focusing the education on the learner, some have

This document was produced by : Madame Senn Harifetra Rachel Senior Education Officer / WWF Country Office Po Box 738 - Antananarivo (101) - Madagascar / Tel : +261 34 49 814 09 / Email : [email protected] WWW.W W Why we are here. To stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony and nature.

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