Madagascar Naturalist Guide Food Project
Donation protected
We've always believed travel can be a force for good, but with international travel put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic, the impact on local communities dependent on tourism has been devastating.
In the meantime, we've put our heads together and come up with a way to tackle an urgent need in the Madagascar tourism community that involves most of our travelers – the welfare of the local naturalist guides in parks all over Madagascar.
While some of the guides are subsistence farmers, the bulk of their income comes from assisting visitors as they explore the diverse eco-systems in Madagascar and share their deep understanding of the flora and fauna in each location. The salary and tips they receive help them feed their families, send their children to school, and even help local reforestation projects. Without tourists, they have no income stream and as the guides often are not affiliated with any official organizations, they are not receiving support or salaries during this time. Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world so government assistance is non-existent. The situation is becoming dire and many of the guides and their families are very hungry.
Wilderness Travel and our partners on the ground are organizing a food delivery for the guides. Rice is a very important staple in the Malagasy diet and a 100-pound bag of rice is only $30. We are hoping our past guests who visited Madagascar will consider assisting us in these efforts. We're asking your help with donations to purchase the rice. Our goal is to raise US$4,000.
WT is not an NGO, nor do we have a non-profit arm, so these donations will not be tax-deductible.
In the meantime, we've put our heads together and come up with a way to tackle an urgent need in the Madagascar tourism community that involves most of our travelers – the welfare of the local naturalist guides in parks all over Madagascar.
While some of the guides are subsistence farmers, the bulk of their income comes from assisting visitors as they explore the diverse eco-systems in Madagascar and share their deep understanding of the flora and fauna in each location. The salary and tips they receive help them feed their families, send their children to school, and even help local reforestation projects. Without tourists, they have no income stream and as the guides often are not affiliated with any official organizations, they are not receiving support or salaries during this time. Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world so government assistance is non-existent. The situation is becoming dire and many of the guides and their families are very hungry.
Wilderness Travel and our partners on the ground are organizing a food delivery for the guides. Rice is a very important staple in the Malagasy diet and a 100-pound bag of rice is only $30. We are hoping our past guests who visited Madagascar will consider assisting us in these efforts. We're asking your help with donations to purchase the rice. Our goal is to raise US$4,000.
WT is not an NGO, nor do we have a non-profit arm, so these donations will not be tax-deductible.
Organizer
Wilderness Travel
Organizer
Berkeley, CA
