Hi Seraphique,
Let’s take safety issues first: Madagascar is a very safe country for visitors, and you would spoil your visit immensely if you were constantly worrying about threats from the Malagasy people. It’s simply not necessary to do that. However, there are one or two things that you need to be aware of:
Firstly, it’s unwise to walk around in Antananarivo at night unless you know the area you’re walking in. Taxis are cheap and numerous. By day, walking around is generally unproblematic, but you and your group should take standard common sense precautions, especially in the central areas and markets, against pickpockets and people who slash open bags – keep valuables concealed in belts under your clothes and don’t display large amounts of cash when buying things.
There is quite a lot of criminality emanating from the sapphire-mining centre of Ilakaka on the road to Toliara in the South-West. Some of this is impinging on Isalo National Park, and if you visit Isalo, you should pay close attention to the advice of your park guide. The attack on French tourists that you mention took place close to Toliara and was very unpleasant. The attackers may have come from Ilakaka, but this has not, to my knowledge been proved. The attack would not discourage me from going to Toliara, but it would make me more careful about accepting offers of assistance there from people I didn’t already know.
Elsewhere there have been reports of muggings on some of the beaches north of Tolagnaro (Fort Dauphin), but that’s about it. I’ve travelled extensively in Madagascar with my (high-school age) kids and have no problems with allowing them to go off independently, even in towns at night.
The biggest dangers to your personal safety are not the people, but road traffic accidents (this, though is a general problem in developing countries and is not specific to Madagascar, where it may even be less than elsewhere) and accidents during sea trips. There have been a number of fatalities this year, and the authorities are actually placing restrictions on the carriage of passengers by sea on the north-east coast and between the mainland and Nosy Be as a result.
As far as natural disasters are concerned, the main problem is cyclones, but you’re unlikely to experience these in November and December. The season is from January to March or early April, and they affect mainly the north-eastern and north-western coastal areas, although last season some did move inland and one passed close to Antananarivo. Although cyclones can be and frequently are devastating to local communities, the risk they pose to travellers tends to be exaggerated. The main thing is to keep yourself informed of the situation, and you can do this by accessing the following website from internet cafés: [http://severe.worldweather.wmo.int/tc/swi/index.html ]. This is the monitoring station on La Réunion, and it publicises tropical storms as soon as they form and indicates their probable trajectory. This will enable most people to get out of the path of a cyclone or avoid getting into it.
On eating: There is very little you should specifically avoid. Some guidebooks advise against eating from roadside stands, but I strongly disagree – most of the food there is freshly prepared and delicious, and you’d be depriving yourself if you avoid sampling it. I would not, on the other hand, buy drinks from roadside stands and itinerant vendors unless I could be sure (difficult!) that the water used for making them, for washing the glasses, or for any ice that had been put in them had been boiled. Bottled water (Eau Vive, Olympiko) is safe, as is the rice water (called ranovola or ranompanga, depending on the area) routinely served with meals in small cafés and restaurants, although not everyone can acquire the taste for this.
Eating salads and unpeeled fruit and vegetables can be a problem in Madagascar as in any developing country. I have found, though, that salad served in restaurants, even small roadside ones, does not cause me any problems, and generally, as your system acclimatises, it should be able to handle a lot of the local bugs – but if you have any doubts, keep to the hot food.
On health generally, you and your group should have up-to-date immunisation against tetanus, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B and typhoid fever, and if you are going to be living and working under local conditions in a rural area, then meningitis and rabies are also advisable. Malaria prophylaxis is necessary (doxycycline or Malarone).
On language, if your community project is in a rural area, it could be a disadvantage not having someone who speaks French, simply to be able to communicate with staff and patients, almost all of whom will be unable to speak English. If you’re going to be visiting national parks, the accredited guides (hiring them at the park is compulsory) normally have English, although sometimes it can be rudimentary, and you should try and check before choosing them. Generally, good knowledge of English is not widespread outside (or even within) the capital, but with initiative and patience you should get by.
You can be sure that local school students will be absolutely delighted to see your group and will use every opportunity to try out their English on them. As this is often limited and therefore repetitive, and as the enthusiasm can appear pushy and irritating to foreigners, it might be an idea to prepare your group for this and encourage them to be patient even with people who persistently get on their nerves. This kind of contact can lead to invitations to visit Malagasy homes.
On how to help out your project: the best advice I can give you is to make every effort to find out in advance what they actually need. The worst possible thing is to turn up with stuff that the project either doesn’t need or has already got. Malagasy people never want to offend their guests and will politely accept what you offer – but you will notice the disappointment or even that you have caused offence. Funding is almost certain to be welcome, but you should make sure in advance or in situ that what you want to fund is what the project wants to have. Sadly, it is also necessary to be circumspect about handing over cash, so the mechanism for acquiring the materials and equipment you want to fund is an issue you would need to address.
Good luck with your project! Where is it, by the way? I’d be interested to know.
