Category: Programmes
‘Polvo’ and participatory mapping in Mozambique
It’s a good job I don’t mind getting my hands dirty! I’m standing on an island in the bay of Mocimboa da Praia in northern Mozambique with the sun beating down, and a group of about ten fishermen crowded around...
Diver! Diver! PADI Rescue Diver course in Andavadoaka
By Madison Kane, Expedition Manager, Andavadoaka, Madagascar “Diver! Diver! Are you okay?” … ”Someone call for help, I have an unconscious diver!” were the things being yelled from Half Moon Beach in Andavadoaka, but no need to be alarmed, it...
Celebrating women who inspire change
I'm currently volunteering with the Safidy programme in Andavadoaka, and was offered the opportunity to write this special blog post for International Women’s Day...
Filming with the stars
After years of wanting to tell the story of Blue Ventures' integrated Population-Health-Environment approach in a visual and personal way, the opportunity has finally arrived.
What is biodiversity?
by Winnie Courtene-Jones, Field Scientist, Belize What is biodiversity? That was the question for grade 5 of the Sarteneja Roman Catholic school. We started the day with a trip to Shipstern Nature Reserve, home to a hugely diverse array of...
Tsy veloma fa mandra-pihaona! (It’s not goodbye, but see you next time!)
By Shawn Peabody, Former Country Director, Madagascar It took me 30 hours to get to Andavadoaka the second time I went there. I took the octopus truck – and I was lucky in that I got a seat at the...
Sustainable tuna fisheries management in the southwest Indian Ocean
by Charlie Gough, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, UK Flying into Maputo, Mozambique in November 2013 I was excited and a little apprehensive. I was representing Blue Ventures at the 4th annual forum of civil society organisations (CSO)/private sector (PS) for...
My medical elective with Blue Ventures in Andavadoaka, Madagascar
By Lousie Collingwood, medical elective student, Exeter, United Kingdom Madagascar is an incredible country, full of endemic wildlife and fringed by beautiful coral reefs. However, this wasn’t the only reason I decided to travel there for my medical elective… Blue...
Tsy manavaky: female fishers find strength through learning
By Olivia Kemp, Sustainable Fisheries Programme Manager, Toliara, Madagascar Andavadoaka beach, 6am. As our team loaded up the comarine pirogue with our gear, we scanned the cloudy skies for signs of what weather surprises might be in store for us...
Staff Q&A with Aude Carro, Blue Forests Coordinator (NW Madagascar)
In the nineteenth instalment in our series of Q&As with Blue Ventures staff, we ask Aude Carro, Blue Forests Coordinator (NW Madagascar), some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers…
Greetings from the Pacific Northwest
by Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst & Manager – Blue Carbon Science, Vancouver Update from Blue Ventures’ newest branch in Vancouver, Canada. Greetings from the Pacific Northwest! After two exciting and fruitful years in Madagascar, I have moved to Vancouver, Canada to...
How can rice sacks help prevent diarrhoea?
By Mahasoa Lahatse, Health Education and WASH Specialist, Velondriake, Madagascar It makes us, the Safidy community health team of Blue Ventures, happy to share with you this short story about sand-bag latrines. This story takes place in our village of Andavadoaka, where...
The Geo for Good Summit: putting cutting edge mapping technologies in the hands of non-profits
By Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst & Manager, Blue Carbon Science, Vancouver What happens when you spend a week with representatives from dozens of non-profits, educational institutions and research institutes learning about recent advances in mapping tools and technologies at the...
Family planning festivals sail into Belo sur Mer
By Lison Garrel, Safidy (Community Health) Programme Coordinator, Belo sur Mer, Madagascar Last month the commune of Belo sur Mer was in a party mood! And no, it wasn’t because of the rallies preceding the presidential election, it wasn’t because of...
Development of a community aquaculture project: going beyond for real sustainability
by Minnie Lanting, ex-Velondriake Programme Coordinator, and Antoine Rougier, Aquaculture Consultant, Madagascar This is Blue Ventures’ approach to promoting sustainable alternative livelihoods through our community-based aquaculture programme. Instead of giving one-off donations or handing out money to local fishers, the...