Madagascar evening

Following the launch of the Madagascar Exhibition at the start of June, developed through a partnership between the Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission and Art for Guernsey, the Commission will be holding a public Event at the Mansell Street Gallery on Wednesday 19th June at 5.30pm.

The Exhibition has been well attended during its first few days on the upper floor of the Gallery, and the evening Event will provide the public with the opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding of the work being undertaken in Madagascar. This will be directly from the Charities that the Commission has funded to implement the school and water projects highlighted in the Exhibition – SEED Madagascar, and Feedback Madagascar.

There will be presentations from the President of the Commission, Deputy Chris Blin, and representatives of the Charities. Deputy Blin will first talk about the overall work of the Commission in many countries around the world. The visiting Managing Director of SEED Madagascar, Mark Jacobs, will then be sharing insights into their partnership with the Commission, his Charity’s future plans, and their long running initiative ‘Stitch’ – which improves the opportunities of Malagasy women by teaching them skills that enable them to generate an independent income. Samantha Cameron, the Country Director of Feedback Madagascar, will be presenting via a direct live feed from Madagascar. She will provide background on the areas they work in, their collaboration with the Commission, their wider work and impact, and future plans. Throughout the evening, there will also be plenty of time to view the artwork and information on display, including Malagasy artisan marquetry and needlework. The Exhibition is running until 13th July.

The Event and the Exhibition is designed to raise awareness and allow the public to better understand the focused work being undertaken by the Commission to support sustainable change in vulnerable communities in some of the world’s least developed countries. Due to Madagascar’s particular vulnerability to climate change and the high proportion of its population working in agriculture, the island is struggling with extreme levels of poverty with a very low percentage of children completing education. The Commission has funded projects in Madagascar for many years and the majority of these have been with SEED Madagascar and Feedback Madagascar, targeting education and clean water access, with associated elements of climate-resilience. The projects have had a particular focus on long-term sustainability.

Between the talks, Fairtrade Guernsey will be providing a Fairtrade Coffee and Tea Break. Fairtrade is a valuable addition to the event due to its involvement with Malagasy farmers. Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of vanilla with 74% of its population working in agriculture. Fairtrade works to ensure farming populations such as these are fairly compensated for their labour and have the opportunities to improve their circumstances.

Chris Blin, President of the Guernsey Overseas Aid and Development Commission, said: “It is great to see how many people have already taken an interest in the Commission’s work by visiting the Exhibition. This Event will give an even a greater understanding of how projects positively impact communities on the ground, and how support from Guernsey Islanders has tangible benefits across the world. I am sure the SEED Madagascar and Feedback Madagascar presentations will be fascinating as they have undertaken numerous projects in Madagascar over the years and have a specialist knowledge of the Country. They have particularly strong connections to the communities in which they work and their drive to progress sustainable development in Madagascar is admirable. Hopefully, attendees will leave with a strong sense of solidarity with a fellow island nation.

“On behalf of the Commission, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Art for Guernsey, Madvi Harchad for providing much of the Exhibition material, SEED Madagascar, Feedback Madagascar, and the Fairtrade Guernsey Steering Group for their ongoing work and refreshments!”