http://www.rachelinafrica.com Budgie does the great red island Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:07:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [photopress:Anisa_in_New_Belaoka_Village_Library.JPG,full,centered] We've spent the past several months collaborating with local students, teachers and village leaders to create a library for the commune of Belaoka-Marovato/Andapa. The photo above is of one of my students from the environment summer class I taught at the local college (Anisa 13 yrs) in our new natural sciences ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/141 [photopress:IMG_3781.JPG,full,centered] The village of Antananbaobe, ten kilometers from Ambodigavo village (where we will hold our first womens cooperative sewing seminar in late September) is a beautiful village on the road to Anjanaharibe Special Reserve. Antananbaobe is one of the "greenest" villages in our Commune Rurale, surrounded by inter-cropped and forested hillsides ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/138 [photopress:Ambodigavo_cooperative_members_small_IMG_3490.jpg,full,centered] The proud women of the Ambodigavo village sewing cooperative The village of Ambodigavo (“At the Guava Tree�) in northeastern Madagascar’s Andapa rice farming basin (in the rural Commune where I live and teach), has a population of 200. The motivated mothers, daughters and grandmothers of Ambodigavo have formed a women’s sewing ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/137 [photopress:Untitled_1_copy_1_2_3.jpg,full,centered] Come and visit us! Click on the following links for: ENGLISH Antanetiambo Brochure FRENCH Antanetiambo Brochure One of my projects in this third year with Peace Corps is assisting the development of a small local cultural and ecotourism program in the village of Belaoka in northeastern Madagascar. Belaoka is situated between Marojejy National Park ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/136 In recent months I've worked on developing bi-lingual environmental radio programming in English and Tsimihety dialect Malagasy (scripts available at the Peace Corps environment sector office) for weekly broadcast on Andapa's Radio Vary Mangitry Wildlife Conservation Society spot. By broadcasting select programs that profile regional flagship species and local area ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/133 Just made a wonderful trip to Antsirabe, Fianarantsoa and Ranomafana National Park on the high plateau. It always blows me away how different the people, mud earth two-storied homes and countryside are here, compared to the part of Madagascar I know so well. Here is a traditional Betsileo scene from our drive to ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/132 [photopress:Shiva_temple_Mauritius_IMG_2640_.jpg,full,centered] God Shiva detail from Hindu temple near Grand Baie, Mauritius We just arrived back in Antananarivo after a very long delay on our already red-eye Air Madagascar flight out of Mauritius. We had the most incredible time during our week of R&R and I now (hopefully) am fully recovered from my ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/131 [photopress:RKRAMER_DSC_0706_RANGER_RICK_SMALL.jpg,full,pp_empty] For recent photos of wildlife and village life in Madagascar, follow the link to Rachel's new galleries: http://www.pbase.com/rak_929/madagascar_miscellaneous 15 February 2008 UPDATE FROM RACHEL Karakory e olona djiaby! I just got in to Tana for our COS (Conclusion of Service) conference and have internet for the first time in what seems like ages. Erik ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/129 [photopress:SILKY_SIFAKA_3_RKramer_SMALL.jpg,full,pp_empty] WCS MAKIRA Protected Area 2007 FOLK STORIES RELATING TO THE SILKY SIFAKA LEMUR, AS TOLD BY VILLAGE ELDERS IN ANSAHABE FOREST-ANDAPARATY TANTARAN’NI SIMPONA FOTSY AVY AMIN’NY TANGALAMENAN’NY ANSAHABE-ANDAPARATY ANJARANIRINA Evelin Jean Gasta, Interviewer Rachel Kramer, Peace Corps Environment Volunteer, Translator Erik Patel, PhD candidate Cornell University The silky sifaka lemur ranks among the top 25 most ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/128 [photopress:Rachel_w_Rantabe_Training_Students_DSC_1275__SMALL_copy.jpg,full,pp_empty] Rachel with Environmental Youth Club students at health/environment training I’m sitting in the taxi brousse in M waiting for the back to fill to bursting with people and rice so we can finally make the trip to V/N. It’s a miserably rainy day, so despite my excellent dry bags, I’ve ... http://www.rachelinafrica.com/archives/127