Initiatives Océanes 2018 - Mahanoro

On April 20, 2018, the NGO JADE, in collaboration with Surfrider Foundation Europe, successfully carried out the Initiatives Océanes 2018 project on the beach of Mahanoro, Toamasina, Madagascar. The main objective of this project was to raise awareness among the youth of Mahanoro about the harmful effects of non-biodegradable waste on the coastline and to clean part of the municipal beach in order to restore it to its natural state. The project also had the secondary objective of making the NGO and its activities known to the population of Mahanoro and of promoting certain plastic recycling methods. To do this, the NGO JADE approached several schools in the city of Mahanoro to ask them to make at least one class per institution available. The participation of the various groups of middle school and primary school students was not limited to their physical involvement during the beach cleanup, but was complemented by verbal and audiovisual awareness-raising.

The project was joined by other associations working in environmental protection and youth engagement, based in Toamasina: Varecia (the association of ISSED students, a branch of the University of Toamasina) and by the social enterprise UJA (Union des jeunes agriculteurs). The organizers distributed syrup and juice, and a few group photos were taken at the end of the day. The afternoon session was devoted to a demonstration of one of the many types of plastic recycling: making a paving block from plastic waste collected during the morning and sand. This session was attended by half a dozen middle school students from the FJKM College in the city of Mahanoro. In sum, the project raised awareness among the youth of Mahanoro about the harmful effects of non-biodegradable waste on the coastline and was also an opportunity to make the NGO JADE and its activities known.