After doing much research into a suitable destination for our honeymoon, we have decided to head to Madagascar and volunteer ourselves for two and a half months.  We will be working for a Scottish Charity called Feedback Madagascar (www.feedbackmadagascar.org), which has worked in the field of sustainable development, healthcare, conservation and the environment since 1993.

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Madagascar is a diverse mix of landscapes and cultures, rich in flora, fauna and natural resources but one of the poorest countries in the world.  In rural areas it is estimated that only 3 out of 10 people have access to safe drinking water and sanitation.  Diarrhoeal diseases are a major cause of sickness and death in Madagascar, and this is largely due to drinking dirty or contaminated water. 

Our objective is to raise money to fund the construction of a gravity-fed water supply system for the provision of clean drinking water to a remote rural community.  This community has been identified by Feedback as having a particularly high mortality rate due to associated diarrhoeal diseases such as dysentery and cholera.

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The beneficiaries of this project will include households amounting to a population of 350 people, a primary school of 190 pupils, a dispensary with up to 300 patients per month and a health care centre with 200 patients a month.  

The major cost implication for a water supply system is the pipelining materials and in particular the distance from the spring source to the community.  Our aim therefore is to raise a total of £5,000, which will cover the entire cost of the project.  As volunteers we will be contributing our time and no doubt a lot of sweat and backache and we would like to stress that your money will not be spent on our airfares, living accommodation or food.

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We would be hugely grateful for anything that you could donate and dont forget that if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Thank you for your support.

Love

Alex & Tara