Help Madagascar’s People, Environment & Wildlife
One Donation - Triple Benefits
Humanitarian Aid, Environmental & Wildlife Conservation
UPDATES
THANK YOU to all the donators who helped us reach our goal!
The CAMPAIGN CONTINUES as the need continues.
CONSERVATION BY TOURISM
Recent aid to Berenty Private Reserve Staff
Every Dollar Goes to the Campaign
The organizer is covering the GoFundMe fees and the cost to transfer the donations to Madagascar. Every dollar you donate goes directly to Dodi so that he can quickly help those in need.
Dodi’s Lemur Tours is committed to supporting the very poor communities living in the scattered villages in the Spiny Forest at the edge of ANDOHAHELA NATIONAL PARK, in the southern most part of Madagascar.
Your donation will help educate local communities to better understand the value of conservation of the Madagascar biodiversity while also helping meet their immediate needs. By helping the people, you are in turn helping the environment and wildlife. One donation leads to triple benefits.
http://www.dodislemurtours.com
UPDATE - Your donations are immediately helping those in need. See the recent videos below (November, 7 2020) Thank you for your generosity!
Madagascar is their home, a country full of wonders of nature and kind, beautiful people, but also a very poor country, and many go hungry every day. Madagascar is also one of the world’s highest priority biodiversity hotspots.
See more photos and read a blog by one of Dodi’s clients, Jose Hernandez, to appreciate the biodiversity your donation will help conserve.
http://joseherworld.blogspot.com/2015/10/lemurs.html 
Dodi’s Story
Dodi's Lemur Tours which operates around Madagascar, was created by Dodias Justin (his short name is Dodi) in 2012 to help the local communities, friends and relatives to better understand the value of conservation of the Madagascar biodiversity and to provide the local guides/drivers with jobs.
For up to date reviews and photographs of Dodi's Lemur Tours please visit:
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g1584026-d2443093-Reviews-Dodi_s_Lemur_Tours-Tolanaro_Toliara_Province.html
Unfortunately, all of the well-known guides and drivers lost their jobs since the covid-19 virus has spread throughout Madagascar in March 2020. Dodi's wife and himself are going out of their way to support them even though they are struggling with this global tourism activity crisis.
Objectives of the Fundraiser
1. Educating the local communities to better understand the value of conservation of the Madagascar biodiversity to their lives now and in the future.
We are showing people how to help us conserve the unique creature species, especially the endangered lemur species in their natural habitats and the benefits they gain from this conservation.
2. Teaching them other options they can use versus destructive practices such as the hunting lemurs, tenrecs, birds, and other diverse endemic species in the Andohahela National Park for food or cutting down park trees for charcoal and planks.
3. Helping the villagers meet their basic needs since little rain fall/drought has not allowed them to produce sufficient crops to meet their basic needs.
4. Work with the villagers so they understand basic hygiene, especially now with the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
5. Aid children in going to school because their parents cannot afford to provide them with school kits and scholarships.
How to Help
Dodi's Lemur Tours is currently supporting 115 homes or families or households in the scattered villages, in the spiny forest portion and in each family, there are 8 individuals in average, which means each family feeds a lot of children.
Any donation is appreciated! No donation is too small. It all adds up.
It costs $ 48 USD, which is approximately 172 800 MGA, to provide each family or each household with the following essential food items which will last for nearly two weeks:
15 kg Rice
15 kg corn ( maize )
1 chicken
8 kg Dried beans
5 cans tomato paste
2L Cooking Oil
5kg Brown sugar
Bath Soap and Dishwashing Soap
5kg Washing Powder
Toothpaste
Toilet paper
The People
The Environment & Wildlife
Andohahela National Park has been a protected area since 1939 but did not become a national Park until 1998. Andohahela National Park has also been classified as a World Heritage Site since 2007 and it represents the biological diversity of the extreme South-East of Madagascar. The variety of habitats within Andohahela NP is mirrored in the richness of species that are found there, and the park is the richest place in Madagascar for lemurs. Fifteen species have been recorded, including two of Madagascar's most emblematic species, the ring-tailed lemur and Verreaux's sifaka dancing lemur. Some rare species of geckos, turtles and snakes are among the 67 species of reptiles found in this park, and 130 species of birds and fifty species of amphibians. The Triangular palm is also found only here.
The Sponsor - Carolyn Grayson
As a world traveler and photographer I try to arrange my trips with a social and environment conscience. One aspect of this is researching and finding local guides to arrange various aspects the journey including accommodation, transfers and guides. In this way I am supporting the local economy and their conservation efforts. This is how I met Dodi from Madagascar.
After reading rave reviews about him, I reached out to him and he arranged a custom 3 week trip in Madagascar for May 2020. Needless to say the trip was postponed, but I continued corresponding with Dodi.
I began to truly appreciate that the impact of COVID on such a poor country is devastating on many levels. I also learned of his efforts to help the local people even though he and his family are struggling. This is the true spirit of charity and this captured my heart.
Thank you
We will keep you posted on how your donations are making a difference to the local communities, the ecosystem, and the guides and drivers.