Pirogues&Baobabs of Ankevo

Ankevo sur Mer and Ankevo Est (Terre) are two bush villages in the Ménabé region of Madagascar. Both villages are located on the southwest coast on the edge of the Mozambique Channel. They are very isolated, 5 hours by pirogue in the sea from Morondava, the regional capital.  The inhabitants belong to two ethnic groups that have lived together in peace for thousands of years:

• the Vezos are nomads of the sea, they live by fishing and maritime transport on their outrigger canoes.

• the Sakalaves cultivate the land and live from crops in the shade of the baobabs. Living conditions are harsh, life expectancy is low, illiteracy is prevalent, and precariousness is permanent.

Ankevo's Pirogues&Baobabs is a voluntary initiative of Franco-Belgian travellers who luckily passed through this area one day. They loved it, went back, bonded and committed themselves to supporting it.

The priority is childhood  ; the youngest age is fragile and at the same time a bearer of hope. We are looking for ways to improve their health and their schooling. The association is a light structure with no management fees or remuneration in France. The administrators are volunteers and the missions are the responsibility of the participants. The entire budget is therefore spent on site. The association employs several employees: all of them live in Ankevo. It develops its various projects and infrastructures in conjunction with the Council of Elders (Fokontany) of Ankevo, the administrative and religious school authorities of the districts of Bélo/mer and Morondava and various local service providers.

At Ankevo, the daily wage is less than €1. However, the Ankevians are competent and hard-working as elsewhere. This inequality is abysmal. Paradoxically, absolute poverty seems to us to be "easier" to correct than the relative pockets of poverty in rich countries.

With €150, we ensure repatriation with a long hospital stay for 3 ankevien.es seriously ill with the hope of saving them. With the same amount in Europe, you consult the vet once to treat your cat.

The association is at the level of men, it knows this region well and decisions are made by those who go there. Of course, the means are not huge, but the commitment, determination and projects are there.

Is Ankevo far away? How do you get there ?

The brief history of sustainable development at Ankevo