Empowering Local Agents of Change

Empowering local actors through teachers' workshop with the support of SOS (Save Our Species)

in collaboration with Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership.

Our main approach to environmental education prioritizes lemurs protection and conservation which is anchored to the belief that by empowering and engaging local actors (teachers, students, village elders, decision makers, young people... the whole community) we are ensuring effectiveness and impact for the sustainability of our work.It is important because we can see how eager local actors are in developing their skills and capacities. Most of those teachers did not have the required skills, information and resources how to engage themselves, their students, their communities in protecting and saving lemurs in Madagascar from potential extinction without bold action for conservation. Many of them did not have the basic knowledge about lemurs representing one of Madagascar unique biodiversity hotspot. So this event allowed us to determine that local actors want to be involved in the process of environment protection and lemur conservation. Moreover, this is important because it is already a big step in enhancing ownership and commitment from local partners. We invest in local partners such as teachers because they are the ones that are in touch with students. As Madagascar’s future conservation leaders, the students need education and guidance now to develop a passion and skill set for protection of the lemurs. Teachers have the capacity to reach a wider part of their communities and can fill the role to pass along key messages and lead bold actions that promote forest, lemurs and environment protection.

the workshop allowed us to reach more than 100 teachers from different areas in Kianjavato. During the workshop we witnessed their eagerness, activism, dynamism... and importantly the will to fully act as partners for lemurs conservation. As a platform for development, teachers during group works had the opportunity to share with us their future plan once back in their respective communities to apply what they gained during the training. The workshop was just a beginning of unlocking opportunities for them to be better and key actors in saving lemurs of Madagascar. The more we can reach out many local actors the more the impact in saving lemurs are.