A ‘hole’ lot is going on in Madagascar
Feedback Madagascar has broken ground on the first of 24 ‘BROARholes’ following the success of record breaking brothers Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan MacLean.
The 24 boreholes will give clean water to 6,000 people living on the forest frontier in southern central Madagascar.
Feedback Madagascar was founded by Craignish-born Jamie Spencer in 1993. The charity works hand in hand with some of the poorest communities in Madagascar to improve their lives and their environment.
By addressing people’s primary needs, such as health, sanitation and agriculture, the charity allows them to focus on longer-term challenges, like education, legal tenure and livelihoods. In the process, the charity not only saves lives and improves community health, food security, education and prosperity, it also encourages and enables people to look after the forests on which they depend. So far, over 164,000 hectares of forest, fauna and flora has been protected.
Taking part in the 3,000mile unsupported rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean, the Talisker Whisky
Atlantic Challenge, the MacLean brothers were setting out to raise £250,000 for two good causes – Argyll charity Feedback Madagascar and Children 1st.
Facing wind, rain, huge waves, fatigue and battery problems, the brothers rowed day and night, repeating shifts of two hours of rowing and one hour of rest.
More than 1.5 million oar strokes later, they completed the gruelling challenge in an incredible 35 days, nine hours and nine minutes, winning the trio class, placing third overall and setting three world records in the process; they are the first three brothers to row any ocean, the fastest trio to row across the Atlantic and the youngest trio to row across the Atlantic.
In the time it took the brave MacLean brothers to row the Atlantic, Feedback Madagascar was able to undertake their feasibility study for the first BROARhole in Andranomena and begin the project.
Breaking ground on the first BROARhole, Jamie Spencer said: ‘The MacLean brothers have raised so much awareness for Feedback Madagascar since their record-breaking Atlantic row.
‘We’re so happy that the impact of their fundraising and people’s generosity is already making a difference in Madagascar. It could not become a reality without the support. Thank you.’
A full video of the exciting event is available to watch on the Feedback Madagascar Facebook page.