Want to see the faces of the students this bridge will affect? Please enjoy this video, showing Antanifotsy and the bridge site in motion. 

Not much is known about this island-nation beyond the environmental aspects, and the popular cartoon movies. We hope this video sheds light on Madagascar and it's people for what they are, plainly, in the light of their village. 

We also hope this video highlights the progress of the bridge project to date. Thanks again to everyone who donated. Without your help none of this would be happening, and these students would still be struggling to get to school. As they say in Madagascar, "misoatra betseka!" Thank you so much for reaching out from across the world. 

The workers are fearless. Since my town is at such a high elevation, it’s a freezing Malagasy June. But that doesn’t stop them from submerging themselves, soaking their skin and clothes in ice water to manipulate its flow. Last Friday I went out to observe construction, and they were waist-deep working at the bases of the bridge pillars. They also carried in heavy sandbags to lessen the strength of the current.

The bridge is now about halfway done. Concrete pillars have been erected, and the first layer of the base has been put down on half the bridge’s length.

        

Construction hasn’t been without flaw… a few weeks ago the middle pillar, where the water is deepest, was toppled on its side by the strength of the water. The workers were naturally disheartened, but have shown great resilience. The architect has hatched a plan to re-erect the pillar. It will be rooted deeper into the water, and all the pillars will soon be weighted with stone blocks covered in dried cement.

The base of each pillar will be weighted in stones and then covered in cement, like hard nuggets frozen in melted chocolate

The fallen pillar will add another week to construction. This week the workers are taking a break because the water level is so high, but they will resume next week. Construction is on its way! 

The architect getting ready for action

Construction has officially started! Me, my sitemate Julia, and our counterpart Madame Bako embarked once more to the far side of where the future bridge will be.

Pastors hosted a ceremony at the site to bless the land. It lasted about an hour. The ceremony entailed lots of prayers, including one point where all the preachers walked towards the water and shouted vehemently all at once for a few minutes to ward away evil spirits. Lots of people from the neighboring communities came, including kids who are not in school that watched curiously, women in straw hats, and men helping dig out the thin dirt roads with shovels along the way.


Before the ceremony had even started, the workers were cracking. There was a huge hole that they were draining water from when we arrived.Long strands of green twine had been attached from one side of the bridge to the other to make a physical outline of construction.

The workers picked up stone blocks and carried them on their shoulders to the hole. They lifted sandbags and made a path with them in the water to divert the flow. They continued to dig near the shore, moving dirt in large piles by the hole. They weren't afraid to get sweaty or muddy. They were putting their backs into it!

Banging a stone to manipulate a wooden pole in the hole

The architect getting ready to drain the water from the hole

Diggin' down and dirty

This is just day 1. Construction will run through all of May and June. The townspeople are excited. The Pastor sends a special thanks to Peace Corps and to all who donated to help make this happen. So, from the community, thank you donors!

And if it's a hot day, look out for cow crossings.

Hey everyone! I'm happy to say we are fully funded and things are coming along on the bridge front.

Last Tuesday, me, Bernard (the architect), and Bako (my Peace Corps counterpart) went to the capital city (Tana) together to hunt for equipment. We left our town at 5 in the morning to beat the terrible beast that is Tana traffic. We got in a few hours later, got breakfast, and went to a hardware shop. (Rather, we spent about an hour trying to find a parking spot before getting to the shop... this city isn't very pedestrian friendly, but apparently it isn't very car-friendly either).

We went into a shop at the top of a hill. Now, this shop didn't have very much open space in it to begin with, and it was PACKED. We squeezed our way through the door and barely had room to enter. Luckily Bernard wiggled to the front desk and haggled for all the supplies we needed.

We waited in the throng, and slowly workers would hand us sets of requested items: gloves, hammers, nails, trowles, helmets, etc. They gave us a big cardboard box to pack it all into, which one of the workers took to our car (parked down the hill) by balancing it on his head, as is the style in Madagascar.

Bernard getting saws handed to him

The fruits of our first purchases... all the equipment the workers will need!

After getting receipts for everything, we got into the hot, sweaty car and drove around a bit until we found some women on a street corner selling wheelbarrows. I waited in the car with Bako as Bernard got out to haggle (cultural note: people tend to not go down as much in price if they see a white person). We got a good price for four wheelbarrows, which we loaded on top of the car.

After a quick lunch break of traditional Malagasy "rice with a sidedish," we went to a smaller market area and found a shop that sold all the railing material. Again, I waited in the car until the price was set, and then came in to give the money. It was cooler in this shop, which was a huge relief from the oppression of a sweltering Tana afternoon. The salseman was very excited to see a "foreigner" and even tried speaking a little English to me ("Madagascar nice? Thank you! One minute, is no problem). He was very friendly, which was nice from the usual indifferent vibe I get from most sellers.

The last thing to get was shovels and spades. Bernard found a stand that would sell them to us (handles sold separately), so again he did one last haggling dance.  When he gave the signal, I came out and we traded cash for goods. With shovels loaded in the car, we now had everything we'll need from Tana to make this bridge possible!

We are going shopping locally in Antanifotsy on Thursday. We'll get some cow carts to haul about 1/4th of the cement, wood, and sand we'll need. We'll be buying that in portions so it doesn't overflow our little storage house in Angavo (near the construction site).

The workers will break ground next Monday, May 4th... May the fourth be with them!

I'm still teaching during the week (oh yeah, I'm an ED volunteer), but I'll be biking out to the construction site every Friday to observe. May 8th will be my first day out there... can't wait to see this unfold!

Fantastic news... THE BRIDGE IS FUNDED!!!

A HUGE, huge thank you to all who helped make this possible. The townspeople are very excited at the prospect of the bridge. The impact of its construction will go a long way in terms of education, health, and agricultural trade. Buckets of gratitude from myself and my town.

Next steps: Having a discussion with the architect about how to buy materials.

Hopefully we can acquire all materials in the next few weeks. Time for some shopping in the capital!

More pictures will come once we break ground with construction. Looking forward to getting that first stone cracked!

The rains have been crazy this season. There's been a lot of flooding in the country. Last week, my town cancelled two days of school because the water levels were ridiculously high.

So much flooding. We need a bridge!

Once built, the bridge will

1) Help students get to the schools on the main commune, and help them get back to their families' neighborhoods safely after school.

2) Increase access to the hospital on the main commune

3) Increase access to markets on the main commune, especially for farmers who need to sell goods.

 At the time of this post we have raised $1,555 not including the my village's initial contribution of $3020. I'd really like to thank everyone who has contributed so far! You are making a difference in my student's lives!

Let's keep making strides. You help the people of Antanifotsy by contributing here: https://beta.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/bridge-to-education/

Misoatra Betseka! The students say, "Thank you!"

This is Ezekiel. 

  He is a ten year old student at the Lutheran school on Antanifotsy’s main commune. His parents live in Angavo, 8 km away.  He and his older brother must rent a house together on the main commune so they can attend classes during the week. They walk home every weekend if the rain lets up.

Each week, they take an allotted amount of food with them to last until the next weekend. Sometimes, food runs out before the week is over. If this happens, Ezekiel and his brother must miss their classes and go back home early to get more food.

 Family is HUGE cultural value in this culture. Living away from parents is one of the hardest things these kids must do, aside from the physical trek to get home every weekend.

Let’s help Ezekiel have an easier crossing!  

We are currently at $655.00 for donations towards building this bridge. Misoatra betseka (Thanks a lot!) to all who have given funds so far.

We are almost at our first $1,000 mark. Let's keep it going to make this bridge a reality. Please consider helping Ezekiel!

Donations can be made right here:

https://beta.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/bridge-to-education/

2/15/15

How did I spend my Valentine’s Day? Three words: Mountainy. Winding. Wet.

Four more: Sunburn. Shoulders on fire.

One more: Mud.

I want people to see this town. Really visualize it. “Madagascar” is an abstract idea to most Americans, or a kid’s cartoon about assorted jungle animals. I want people to really see the faces of who/what  really exists here.

That is why yesterday, I set out with a team to make a video about this town and this bridge project.

My team consists of:

-                        My sitemate, Julia, who teaches English at the town’s Lutheran school. She has a lot of students that need this bridge to see their families on the weekends (they rent houses by themselves next to her school during the week).

-                        Visiting Peace Corps Volunteer Olivia Markwalder, who has agreed to do all the film editing for this project.

-                        My counterpart, Madame Bako, a fellow English teacher who is very passionate about making this bridge happen. And…

-                         Bernard, the architect who will lead a team to design and physically build this bridge.

The five of us set out with bikes and sandwiches for a day of what turned into rugged journeying.

Maneuvering our bikes over rocky, winding paths, we found ourselves surrounded at first by sprawling green fields of rice and corn. Also, the occasional cow-cart.

We first biked 7 kilometers to a small brick shop, where we interviewed one of Julia’s high school students who lives there. His family owns the shop and he talked about commuting back home every weekend to see them.





After leaving him, the journey got much rougher as we set out to the actual bridge site.  We balanced our wheels on the thin spines of paths, pushing through large puddles and badly dodging mud and loose rocks.

(Whew!)

We eventually came to a tiny village, with smoky brick houses and a very small group of people. We stopped at one house where there was a gaggle of children. They were young and do not attend school. When they saw us, they were frightened.

Bako interviewed the parents, who felt much more comfortable with her than with us strange “foreigners.” The atmosphere was slightly tense. The kids were unbearably shy. It was immensely different from how it feels by my middle school, where I've lived and taught the past 20 months.

( At the middle school, some of my students, who can’t get enough of the camera).

We then went to the brink of the river where the bridge will be built. The water was mostly still, but deep enough to deter any kind of crossing.

(Bernard, the architect, at the bridge site.)

We wanted to find some students who had agreed to be interviewed. But the sky was letting out angry rumbles. Nature was slowly forcing its hand over us, demanding we head back to the main commune. As if in warning, the sky opened up and started to drizzle.

The route we took back was insane. We walked through paths of water, and over a log to cross a small river. My legs could barely handle the muddy/rocky terrain as we peddled through it.

                                                       

(We had to ask some guys to help us get the bikes over. They very naturally balanced the bikes above their heads as they crossed this. Skills, man.)

(And you thought your socks would stay dry. Haha.)

We finally returned, exhausted and dripping wet, but with tons of footage.

We talked to some students by the Lutheran school on the main commune. A ton of students live in special housing next to the school. They just live with their siblings, and many are very very young. They must make the crossing we’d made that day to get back to their families on the weekends.

The trek was an adventure for the day. But having to do that both ways EVERY weekend… I think the adventure would get drowned out by the mud and rocks suctioning against tired skin. These kids are TOUGH.

Can’t wait until all the editing is done. We think that by the end of March, we’ll be able to unleash the video in its full glory.

In the meantime, I hope these photos shed some light on these student’s situations. Please consider making a donation to make this bridge possible.

https://beta.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/bridge-to-education/
A huge thanks to all who have donated so far. You are the support to this bridge!

We are currently at $265.00 for the bridge! It's a start. Thanks to all who have donated so far!

Antanifotsy, my town, hopes the bridge will help people in the outlying townships of Angavo and Anondrilahy will....

1) Access the main market in Antanifotsy, particularly farmers who need to sell goods

2) Increase access to the health facilities on the main commune

3) Help kids get to school, espcially during rainy season when it's really hard to walk the 8K to the main commune.

Rain floods the path. Let's take that mud and make it into something.

Share this blog, or donate below. Even a little can add up.

https://beta.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/bridge-to-education/

For the best year and a half, I've been working at CEG Antanifotsy, or Antanifotsy middle school. I have four classes of about 40 students each, and for three hours I teach each section all the English I can. We act out vocabulary, sing songs, and practice making sentences.

Below are some pictures of my school and my students.

Antanifotsy is very lucky to have a public middle school, a public high school, and multiple religious private high schools.

Some of my sixth grade students!

I call them up to the board to write sometimes.

They can play basketball in the schoolyard

Me writing a lesson on the board

Students in front of the CEG entrance

Anondrilahy and Angavo, the two outlying townships we hope to connect, only have elementary schools. Most students walk about 8 k from their families to get to school in Antanifotsy if they want to keep studying. Otherwise, they drop out before they've even hit middle school. Yikes.

A HUGE goal of this bridge is to help kids get to.... and keep going.... to school! Making it to high school is a huge accomplishment when you live so far.

Antanifotsy is lucky enough to have it's own hospital. The facilities are limited. There are few beds and not much equipment. However, the hospital CAN help with vaccinations (extremely important in a Malaria-stricken country), mother-child care, nutrition information, and treatments for daily ailments like diarrhea. It is GREAT that the people have something local.

Otherwise, sick people must travel hours on a winding road to Antananarivo, the nation's capital.

Next to the hospital is Antanifotsy's office of public sanitation

We also have a dentist's office, which is very much needed. Most Malagasy don't get any dental care, and truly don't keep all their teeth.

All of these facilities exist only on the main commune!

I go shopping at the town market at least once a day. Here you can buy all kinds of fruit, some meat, bread, eggs, and sometimes clothes. Selling things at the market is a full-time job for merchants and thier families.

Below are some shots of my town's main market. One of our goals is to increase access to agriculture trade, especially for farmers in the townships that currently don't have any market.

Hello! My name is Jillian Kaplan. I'm currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Madagascar. I teach EFL (English as a Foreign Language) at a local middle school, and work in a previously established English Center.

I am helping my town raise funds to build a bridge connecting two outlying townships to the main commune. The bridge has three main goals:

1) help students get to school during the rainy season (there are no schools above the elementary level in the two townships)
2) help farmers access the main market to buy and sell goods
3) increase access to the hospital on the main commune.

Feel free to ask my anything about PCV life, Madagascar, or my bridge project.

You can help me by sharing this blog and donation link, or donating directly here:

https://beta.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/bridge-to-education/

Misotra Betseka! Thanks so much for reading about my Peace Corps project.