Zahana
Rural Transformation through Participatory Development
PO Box 62223
Honolulu HI 96839
United States
Contact person: Markus Faigle
Topics
- Commune, community project
- Environmental project
- Educational policy/project
About us
Zahana is a registered non-profit organization, based in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Zahana was founded in 1998 by concerned Malagasy citizens to address many of the pressing needs for development in their country. Focusing on rural development, Zahana is working on education, public health, sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture, reforestation, income generating projects and the revitalization of traditional Malagasy medicine. The goal of Zahana is to develop a community-based participatory rural development project focused on priorities set by the villagers themselves. Initial community meetings with the entire village population are held in each location and the villagers themselves develop their own list of priorities.
It is Zahana's philosophy that development must be based on local needs and solutions proposed by local people. It is important to start small and stay focused on local priorities rather than on agendas set somewhere else by national or international bodies. As a pilot project Zahana is working with the village of Fiadanana in the region of Bongolava. It is our vision that the lessons learned from this hands-on development experience will serve as a model for the expansion of the project on a larger scale. First in the neighboring communities that have been inspired by the example, and then, provided there is funding, on a larger national scale in all regions of Madagascar
Results/Achievements:
• Access to Clean Water (A community built and community owned water system provides water with seven communal faucets throughout the village)
• Building a School
• Improved Cook Stoves to reduce the need of firewood
• A Communal Rice Storage Facility
• A Microcredit System for Fiadanana with participation of Global Giving
• Malaria Prevention (Distribution of mosquito nets for preventing malaria)
Markus Faigle is a Volunteer Advisor living abroad.
For other net participants we can procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.