Opening a wood shop in Madagascar
En français c'est par ici => https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ve2daX74GPtqlrI5kUgr6iE3BZxSL4ksNRb-tTjRvzI/edit?usp=sharing
Hello everyone, let me first introduce myself, then I’ll talk about my project. And don't forget to share this with your friends and family :)
Who I am
My name is Julien Connault. I am from france, close to my 28th birthday.
I studied carpentry and I have a long experience as a furniture builder. 
I also did various jobs throughout my life, and I love to learn new things.
I learned web-design on my own and I have a keen interest in education and micro-economics.
I served a LDS mission in Madagascar from 2013 to 2015.
Over my mission, I developed a deep love and a strong desire to help the malagasies, later in my life.
In this wonderful country I had countless opportunities to see and get to know the poorest people in this world, striving to provide for their families, working all day long without complaining, for almost nothing and no hope of improvement . These people always have a smile on their face, even though they sometime have less teeth than fingers :)
At about half way on my mission over there, I took the firm decision that one day, I would consecrate my life to help them, so they could see the fruit of their labor.
During the 9 months following my mission, I was desperately seeking a way to accomplish this dream. I was praying every day and talking about it to everyone who would hear me. It became hard to see how it could be possible.
But then my prayers received an answer. I got an amazing opportunity to help people in Madagascar and I am now heading back to Madagascar. I will leave in June, and move permanently on this big island to work for a little organization called MCF - Madagascar Corporation Foundation.
www.madagascarCF.org
MCF is a new promising organization which purpose is to help families and individuals to lift themselves out of poverty by providing training such as business classes, square foot gardening or family nutrition. MCF also tries to gather other NGO’s on a common battleground : the war against poverty.
MCF has already impacted lives of thousands of individuals in the past few years and it is quickly growing.
The project
To start a new life in Madagascar, I need your help. Indeed, I don't have unlimited funds, and your support would be greatly appreciated.
To be able to help people lifting themselves out of poverty, I need to be self sufficient myself beforehand, to be an example and to gain experience.
In doing so, I would like to create my own business beside my activity in the humanitarian project. I plan on investing in woodworking tools and machines to build furniture and to open my own wood shop.
The size of this project will partly depend on the amount of money I can raise, but not only. I will invest my own money in it.
At the very beginning I want to hire an apprentice, and hopefully some more people as it grows. They will all be hired from selected struggling families.
Like him. Rajean lives in Antsirabe, he is a very talented carpenter but has just very basic tools. He struggles to feed his whole family everyday.
Not all of us have the time or the means to do humanitarian work. I have a great opportunity to do it, and with your help I will be able to be less preoccupied by my own needs and more focus on the needs of others.
If you leave me your e-mail adress with your donation, I will send you a newsletter to keep you informed on my progress.
I know this will be a real sacrifice for you, but the money won't be misused, it will be spent wisely and with close counsel from people who already have a successful business experience.
I thank you already for taking your time reading this. Don't feel that you have to give anything, this is all up to your possibilities. I'll be forever thankful to all that have helped and encouraged me.
ps: this is in euro but it works the same. As of today, 1 euro = 1.13 dollar
Take a look at some pictures I took in my mission : https://www.flickr.com/photos/95778312@N08/albums/72157636535310853
