The Norwegian LC President Anne Karin had heard about my trip and asked me last autumn if she could join me.  Of course, and it was great to do my official visit together with another circler. I am glad now, as I will need her to remind me that what we experienced there is true!

We flew from Joh burg Tuesday after the MTM in Botswana. Both Anne Karin and myself had seen and taken part in loads of fun and exciting experiences during and before the MTM. But we still had some memorable days ahead.

What we very early realized was the fact that this was a very colourful island, and I hope the photos will give you an impression of this.

At the airport we were met by Fanja’s ( Pres LC2) husband Rina.  It was great to be met by a guy who could guide you through the airport and help you get your Visa. Outside three circlers awaited us, Fanja,  Ravo and Domoina ( pres LC1). Fanja dashed of to work, and Domoina back to her  newborn baby.  Ravo, the little lady behind the steeringwheel of a big car was fun to watch, She had 100% control on the quite crowded roads of Antanananarivo, (Tana)  as we headed into town for a sandwich and a cold beer. There we were joined by two other ladies and we had a really good chat!

The terrace gave us a good view over a part of the city, crowded with people! We could not help it, but Anne Karin and I were really happy to have circlers to help us through the crowd!

Tuesday we had dinner together with circlers from LC 1 and 2 at Sylvies place. 11 ladies showed  up there to be with us. And it was like a circle meeting anywhere in the world, laughter, smiles and loads of talking! It was great.  I also have to confess that the food was wonderful! I was also very happy to encourage some of the ladies to apply for travel grant funds, so four of them filled out, and the day after they were properly signed, scanned and sent to Seetha in India! Well done !

 I have to say thanks to the ladies one more time for the pretty red hat and bag I got! It came back to Norway in good shape!

Wednesday Eliana picked us up and we went of to the University and public hospital where ladies give birth, and have the antenatal care. It was really interesting for me to see how they work, and to see the conditions there.  It was not good to see women lying 5 in a row, with only small portable walls between  them when they give birth.  

 No supporting husband along with her, all alone with a Midwife looking after her. I asked about how they monitored the fetuses ( babies before it is born), they looked at me and looked like big questionmarks, as they did not know what I ment. Then I explained again, and somewhere under some clothes they found a stethoscope . And that was all they had for the 5 women who were there at that time. Suprisingly I learned that they have almost 10000 deliveries each year and 20 % of them are sectios.  Quite a lot in fact.

LC 1 have helped the hospital out by buying a refridgerator. At the hospital women come back to have the vaccinations  for their children. These needs to be keept cool, so LC bought a refridgerator for them. Smart move, if you ask me! The hospital really focused on information on breastfeeding, and also had several midwifes and doctors busy in helping the women with child-planning ( contraceptives i.e)

All the help at this hospital was free, but there was some medications they had to pay for.

Dominique was happy to help translating what the midwifes and doctors told! Thanks!

The neonatal ward was quite different from what I have seen back home! My first thought seeing three kids in one bed was that they were tripplets; but no..

In this ward, every space that could be used was used and the nurses did their very best to give the kids all the love and care they needed! I have to admit, the room was clean, it was not bad at all, but surely they needed more equipment.

On little boy, Cristian was sleeping firmly,  well fed and looked so sweet there he lied in his bed alone. And he was alone, someone had found this kid in the trash! That’s heartbreaking, but he was now in good hands!

We left the hospital at lunchtime, and went to a typical malagasi restaurant for lunch. Eliane had taken the day off to be with us, and we had a good time together. Lunch – typical for Madagaskar, Rice with fish, pork and beef. Very good! Then we headed of to see a “mini-Madagaskar”.

Outside Antananarivo there is a place Le Carre where they had created houses, and gathered plants and tools from the different parts of the country. And there were big differences!

 

 

Very interesting.  They also had some of the animals, typical for Madagaskar there. The Lemurs are really sweet, and have to say that they are very well portraited in the movie “ Madagaskar 1 and 2” Loads of beautiful flowers and plants.

Madagaskar is famous for their birds! They have loads of special spiecies there not to be found anwhere else in the world.

This funny bird was very busy, but a good looking guy!

The Malagasi flag; Red for the king, white for the people and green for the country!

I think that was how it went, but looking around us it could just as well be red for the ground! The soil was bright red! Together with green grass, red  houses and the colours of the doors and windows in the houses, it was beautiful. I learned that the circlers were colourful and unique as well. Lots of activities and interests.

The house on this picture is a typical house most people in the Tana area.

Malagasi people are hard working people! The typical family was up at 5 a.m, off to work and did not finish until 6-7 p.m. This is typical for the Malagasi. No wonder they were exhausted at 9 p.m.

Everywhere you could see people working, or carrying, or walking. Carrying water, rice or a baby was a very common image. Less than 10 % have electricity and water in their homes, so carrying water, and materials for cooking food was normal.

Thursday we spent the entire day together with the circlers from LC 2. We headed off in the morning to meet Jose, a young boy of 12 years. His father died last year, and Jose now lives together with his mother and brother. The circlers had heard of Jose through the church some of them belong to. He was the best in his class in the former school he went to, and the circlers wanted to help this boy to get a good education. So the now pay for his education in a better school.

He was the kind of kid you can sense is clever. Jose was now number three in his class and the circlers encouraged him to become nr 1. I do belive he will be!

We first visited him in his classroom. One of the circlers who joined us to Jose school asked him what the other children ask him when we left the class room. HE quickly replied that they asked him if we were his family. So I put my pale arm next to his and he just started laughing! 

Polite and he also had a great sense of humour! So- we met him in his class, and later we went back to his home to meet his mother.

 

Their home was half of a brick building and the room they had was approx 9 square meters. Not much. Jose’s mother is working hard, and I have to say that meeting her was something special. I don’t think I have seen a small woman standing “taller” than her!  It was easy to see!

I am really happy to see that circlers are able to help a family like Jose’s! Try to imgine it is your son getting this kind of help!

Anne Karin and I desided we wanted to help a little, and bought Jose a new school bag with some surprises in for him and his brother, and a french-english dictionary! Also put in on for the library at his school, as they did not have one!

I have to tell you the story about these boys!

After picking Jose up at school we were supposed to take him home. We came by car, and cars was not something everybody had, not in Jose's neighbourhood at least.

He would usually walk together with these boys, so we had to take them with us. They were really giggling and laughing, and I had to ask them what they were laughing about. Well, it was the first time they drove in a car like this, and only second time in a car. They were really proud of it. So we opened the windows and whenever we passed some kids we made sure to whistle so the other kids could see Fabiano and the other guy in our car. We really made their day, just by giving them a lift! I have no idea how to describe their smiles and the look in their eyes, but WIDE! Wide smile and wide open eyes is maybe a start!

5 of the circlers took the day of work to be with Anne Karin and me. We really appreciated this, and it was great to learn more about this circle. They are very dedicated to service, and they were also good friends.  Together we went to the old kings palace, where the former  Kings were buried.  We had a sweet guide who told us how to enter and exit rooms, and learned us a little about the nice and not so nice queens, and their whereabouts. 

We had loads of fun having this photo taken, as a couple of us almost fell down, in our attemt to climb this tree!

Very interesting, not just for me but some of the circlers also had their first visit there.  Typical ! One of them was Fanja!

She had taken two days of work to accompany Anne Karin and me arround, and we had a great time together!

I was treated as a queen, and will never forget the hospitality Fanja and her family gave me!

Mummy, mummy, she speaks english!

I do not understand much french, but this one I got! Turky running to his mother on the first day I was there. And mummy replying; Oui! I know! And again, mummy mummy... she does speak english!!

It is amazing how you are able to communicate with kids even if you do not speak the same language. These two kids melted my heart. And it is good to have lively kids arround when you miss your own family back home!

Friday; starting of with some shopping at the local marked. I do not know if I will recommend anybody to travel to Madagaskar with a 20 kg limit on the luggage. We experienced the hard way going there that they weigh your luggage, and even hand luggage,  so we really  needed to shop carefully! Difficult as there were so much nice things to buy. Anne Karin bought a beautiful crocko hand bag, to the cost of almost nothing. Whatever makes her happy! ( I am just a litttle angry for not buying one!)

Friday was a special day for us. The ladies of LC1 had collected money at a bad taste party, and bought medicine for a pediatric cancer ward. The hospital was really happy to receive the medicine, and hopefully it will make a huge difference for the patients. Together with some of the hospital staff we visited the ward. Seeing young very sick children is never good, but again I felt proud over my sisters in circle who made a contribution to make their lives better. Well done ladies, and keep up your good work.

After the hospital visit we headed of to a camp for homeless people. The circlers had collected some drinks and snacks for the children, and it was very well welcomed!

We had seen some of the houses people live in, i.e Joses family, but this was not good.  A problem for these people was that they did not have official papers, so they had huge problems getting work. Now some of them helped out cleaning the streets in the morning, for a sum of money, but not enough to get settled for them and the family.  Up to 10 families stayed in one tent, and the space they had could have been the size of a big bed. There they ate, lived and slept, 3-4 people.

Well, looking at my expression at the photo it tells it all. Behind every curtain lived one family!

They stayed at the camp for up to 6 months. Where they went after that was hard to know! But at least for a while they had shelter at the camp. The children also got a little education in this period!

Not all children are going to school in Madagaskar, and talking to a circler there who works as a school teacher this is a huge problem. We can easily imagine!

Maybe your circle can give LC Madagaskar a hand here. Send them an email and ask if you can donate some money that they can buy ecuipment or food to the camp for! They are going there three times a year already!

No cheating here. First the smallest, and then the bigger!

Not too much pushing. SOme of these kids had no idea what to expect so we helped them as good as we could to follow the stream and get their snacks and drinks into the bags!

 

Friday evening the ladies had arranged a big party since we were visiting them. Circlers, tablers, ex- tablers met and we had a great evening!

I had the pleasure to thank the circlers for making the 4 days in Madagaskar so wonderful for me and Anne Karin.

One of the best moments I have as international president is to charter new members! This friday I had the pleasure to welcome these three ladies to circle!

Welcome, and I am quite sure they will be able to contribute to friendship and service!

Party time, Karaoke, laughter and singing!

WE had a great time and I was happy to meet the to circlers ( former members of LC1 who has moved to the west coast where they will try to form LC 3. THis might be the right and important steps for Madagaskar to head towards full membership!

I hope our visit to Madagaskar gave them some inspiration and acknowledgement in the work the do!

At least Anne Karin and I tried to show them that they never walk alone!

With this photo, of the beautiful sunset in Madagaskar I would like to round up this report from Madagaskar.

There is so much more to say about the visit, about the circlers there and the work they do!

You might meet some of them in Brugge, and please great them as well as they greated me and Anne Karin during our stay!

The photo of the sunset, the coulours will forever remind me of the time my heart melted, not because of summer temperatures, but because to circles in Madagaskar made me feel so unique!

And as we all know, as circlers we are unique, so goes for LC Madagaskar. And it is great to be reminded about that from time to time

 

THANK YOU LADIES CIRCLE MADAGASKAR