By Dr. Patricia Wright, 2014 Indianapolis Prize Winner
The villages around Ranomafana are some of the poorest in the world, and part of our conservation program is to help the people around the park to have better health.
In order to step this up we have encouraged the founding of PIVOT, a new NGO with their first goal to bring infrastructure of health care delivery to international standards around the Ranomafana National Park.
PIVOT became operational in Ranomafana six months ago.. I am on the PIVOT BOARD and we had a Board Meeting in Ranomafana. PIVOT works closely with the Ministry of Health, and so far has begun upgrading and rebuilding the Ranomafana Health clinic as well as purchasing two ambulances, the first ever in the region, to be able to get sick people to the district or province hospital. They have been saving lives already. The District Hospital and six other basic health clinics will be upgraded this year. And 40 essential medicines provided to all these clinics. The Board was impressed with the first six months of progress towards the goals of Health for Conservation. PIVOT and Centre ValBio work closely together.
As part of the PIVOT Board events we had three local bands come to Centre VALBIO to perform.
The bamboo dancers won the competition. Michael Herrnstein, the youngest Board member joined the dancers.
Yes, our Environmental Arts Program includes acting and theater! Zara Aina is a group of Broadway actors who visited Madagascar over a year ago teaching performing arts to Malagasy children. Last year Bryce Pinkham (Starring now in the Tony Winning Broadway Musical “A gentleman’s guide to Love and Murder), Lucas Rooney and Annie came to Centre ValBio to teach our local children to act out nature stories. Although Bryce couldn’t come having to go to the Tonys, Lucas and Annie arrived on their motorcycles the day of the PIVOT Board meeting. The Mayor loaned his car to bring up children from Ranomafana and 150 children somehow emerged from a pick up truck like clowns in a Volkswagon. Let the performance begin!! Part of the fun was the children invading the PIVOT Board meeting. Its all filmed and must be on the web by now. Great fun for all. And a good way to bring awareness of the specialness of Madagascar’s wildlife to the local communities.
Our environmental arts program is growing and we brought PIVOT our basket weavers from Sahavondronona Village to teach basketweaving to the Board. This program of incorporating basket weaving lessons into tourist schedules is another way CVB is helping the household budgets of local village women.
