Ta ta, and Tana

Amanda and I have been trying to think of ways to be a bit more proactive in our donations to charity. Every year she organises her school to send shoeboxes of Christmas gifts and aid to various places nominated by the relief org ADRA, but I don't do much more than contribute some money.

My father is the transport manager of ADRA. He's off to India on a building project very soon, and that prompted me to offer to go with him. I thought, "It'll be a father-son bonding experience". He evidently thought, "I've employed Peter on a building site before and he's useless!"

He suggested I try to find something more suited to my skills, like writing (or watching films). I contacted another friend in ADRA, and they came up with the compromise solution of making a video-blog (vlog) about one of their projects. A sort of is-it-worth-the-money kind of investigation.

So tomorrow I'm going to Madagascar, one of the poorest countries on Earth. For those of you who never played Risk, that's the large island off the coast of (southern) East Africa.

I'm flying Air Mauritius 12 hours straight to Mauritius, and then a quick hour-long hop to Madagascar. I'll arrive on Monday and leave again on Saturday.

I'll be in a hotel in the capital Antananarivo for the first and last nights, and the rest I'll be staying near the project.

The project is aimed at contributing to the alleviation of poverty among the
poorest households in five communes in the Fandriana region, Madagascar, through
improved opportunities for income-generating activities, improved agricultural
practices, and improved health practices. It will work with 10 craftswomen and
65 farmers’ associations to improve their productive, technical and marketing
capacities and to ensure better availability of community-based health services.

Three fields of activities aimed at improving the standard of living will be
carried out: (i) promotion of improved rice farming and kitchen garden (ii)
promotion of income-generating activities in agriculture or crafts (iii)
establishment or reinforcement of community-based health services.

I've deliberately left prepping for the trip till quite late, as I can be a bit obsessive, so that should fill up only a short period. I'm trying to figure out what clothes to take, as it's hot, humid, but also the rainy season.

But I've had my injections (typhoid, hep A, polio, tetanus, etc) and I've bought a load of insect repellent and Immodium. And tracked down my Malarone malaria tablets. Several people told me "Take malarone, not larium. Larium sends you loopy." So with malarone, I only have to take it the day before I leave, every day during, and seven days after. Can that be right?

I'm concerned that Amanda, who obsessively reads biographies and autobiographies about people from colonial Kenya, has a slightly romanticised view of malaria . . .