- Title: MADAGASCAR: ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST HELPS POVERTY STRICKEN COMMUNITY IN MADAGASCAR
- Date: 4th February 2003
- Summary: ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR (RECENT)(REUTERS -- ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF ANGELO AND FELANA DOING THEIR HOME WORK (3 SHOTS) 0.10 2. VARIOUS OF ANGELO AND FELANA WALKING TO SCHOOL 0.28 3. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(Malagasy) ANGELO SAYING: "Living here is much better. I can go to school. I feel like the other children -- I have clothes, I eat, I play. " 0.38 ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR (FILE)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 4. WIDE OF FATHER PEDRO OPEKA CONDUCTING MASS 0.45 5. SMV FATHER PEDRO HOLDING A BIBLE 0.50 6. WIDE OF FATHER PEDRO HOLDING UP BIBLE 0.55 7. VARIOUS OF CONGREGATION AT MASS (3 SHOTS) 1.03 8. SLV PEOPLE WALKING AFTER MASS 1.07 9. SMV WOMAN HOLDING HER BABY SITTING ON PAVEMENT 1.11 ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR (RECENT)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 10. WIDE OF TANA MUNICIPAL RUBBISH DUMP 1.14 11. SMV MAN AND WOMAN SEATED ON TOP OF THE RUBBISH 1.17 12. CLOSE UP OF RUBBISH BASKET 1.19 13. SMV WOMAN LOOKING FOR FIRE WOOD AND LEFTOVERS FROM THE RUBBISH DUMP 1.22 ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR (RECENT)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 14. WIDE OF BUILDINGS IN THE AKAMASOA 1.25 15. SMV TWO CHILDREN LAUGHING IN AKAMASOA 1.28 ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR (FILE)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 16. VARIOUS, FATHER PEDRO AND CONGREGATION (2 SHOTS) 1.35 27. WIDE OF BUILDINGS OF THE AKAMASOA 1.37 ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR (RECENT)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 18. SMV ANGELE ROGERIA WASHING DISHES 1.42 19. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(Malagasy) ANGELE ROGERIA SAYING: "Before we lived in the city. I had build a house with my husband but it was destroyed by a cyclone and my husband died. I couldn't send my children to school anymore, the rent in Tana was too high. Then, I was told to see Father Pedro. Today my children eat at the canteen, we have a house, and I'm working. I don't earn much, but we can live now." 2.05 20. VARIOUS OF ANGELO WRITING ON THE BLACKBOARD (2 SHOTS) 2.11 21. SMV COOKING POTS ON A FIRE AT THE AKAMOSOA'S KITCHEN 2.13 22. SMV WOMAN ADDING WOOD TO THE FIRE 2.17 23. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN EATING (2 SHOTS) 2.22 24. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(Malagasy) AKAMASOA HEAD COOK MAMA JORY SAYING: "We feed 7000 children every day, the only day we don't cook is Saturday. They don't eat beans all the time, on Mondays they get rice too, and greens on Tuesdays -- and when we have the budget, we cook meat." 2.29 25. CLOSE UP OF COOKED BEANS 2.32 26. CLOSE OF BIG POT ON FIRE AT THE AKAMOSOA'S KITCHEN 2.34 27. SLV , TWO WOMEN POURING RICE FROM A SACK INTO A BUCKET 2.38 28. VARIOUS, OF WOMEN COOKING AND CLEANING UP (2 SHOTS) 2.44 29. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(French)FATHER PEDRO SAYING: "I have always said that if someone is prepared to work, then I have to help them. It's sad that people waste so much time making speeches and seminars that don't lead to anything -- and the poor don't get off the street. You have to into their environment to help them" 2.51 30. VARIOUS OF POOR PEOPLE IN THE STREETS OF ANTANANARIVO (3 SHOTS) 3.04 31. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(French)FATHER PEDRO SAYING: " "So that you can all join forces and get out of it together. That's what we're doing at Akamasoa." 3.10 32. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(Malagasy) AKAMOSOA CO-ORDINATOR MANANTENASOA SAYING: "If they agree to work, if they sent their kids to school, if they find a way to contribute a small sum towards their house, then we give them the house. But there are some people who can't handle that discipline, and who prefer to leave." 3.26 33. WIDE OF PEOPLE WORKING IN QUARRIES NEAR THEIR VILLAGES 3.33 34. SMV WOMAN BREAKING ROCKS AT THE QUARRIES 3.37 35. WIDE OF THE NEW HOUSES BUILT FOR THE POOR 3.41 36. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(Malagasy) QUARRY WORKER LOUISE RAVAOARISOA SAYING: "It's hard work. But my husband is sick and I came here to ask for help. They're looking after him, and we don't have to buy expensive medicine anymore. And I'm chipping stones to make some money for us." 3.57 37. VARIOUS WOMEN MAKING BAGS AND MATS AT A WORKSHOP ( 4 SHOTS) 4.05 38. VARIOUS OF BOYS AT A WOOD WORKSHOP MAKING FURNITURE (3 SHOTS) 4.14 39. SCU MAN SAYING "We train young people suitable for secondary education so they can do the job there .We have about fourty of them in three workshops .They learn to work with different types of wood , produce all kinds of furniture and and they make desks for the schools" BOYS WORKING (3 SHOTS) 4.34 40. VARIOUS OF OLD PEOPLE SEATED ON THE FLOOR (2 SHOTS) 4.39 41. CLOSE UP OF OLD WOMAN WAITING HER FOOD RATIONS 4.41 42. CLOSE OF MAN POURING RICE INTO A BAG 4.45 43. WIDE OF PEOPLE AT A HOSPITAL WARD 4.46 44. CLOSE-UP WOMAN LYING ON A BED 4.48 45. SMV FAMILIES WITH THEIR CHILDREN 4.52 46. VARIOUS OF WOMAN STITCHING A DRESS AT HER SEWING MACHINE (2 SHOTS) 4.57 47. WIDE OF THE AKAMASOA HOUSES 5.00 48. SLV ANGELO AND HIS MOTHER OUTSIDE THEIR HOUSE 5.03 49. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(French) FATHER PEDRO SAYING: "People don't have time to wait. They need help today, not tomorrow, not the day after -- today. We have the means, the means and the capacity -- what is missing, is often the will, the political will and the conviction that it's possible. The work that we do here shows that poverty can be eradicated -- things can be changed so quickly, and we don't say that with words, we say it with our actions." 5.06 50. VARIOUS, CHILDREN PLAYING ON THE STREETS OF ANTANANARIVO 5.10 51. WIDE OF SCHOOL AT THE AKAMASOA 5.12 52. SCU OF CHILDREN AT THE SCHOOL 5.16 53. VARIOUS GIRLS JUMPING ROPE (2 SHOTS) 5.21 54. SLV MAN MIXING CEMENT FOR MAKING BUILDING BRICKS 5.23 55. SMV , WOMEN SEWING TABLE CLOTHS AND MATS 5.27 56. VARIOUS, ATHER PEDRO SHAKING CHILDREN'S HANDS 5.32 57. WIDE OF THE AKAMASOA AND HOUSING 5,39 58. SLV , SLUM DWELLINGS TO BE REPLACED BY NEW HOMES OF THE AKAMASOA 59. SEVERAL CHILDREN PLAYING AT THE SCHOOL (2 SHOTS) 5.47 60. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(Malagasy) SCHOOL TEACHER EVARISTINE BAMIZA SAYING: "The children are really very motivated. But school supplies can be a problem for them. For example, many don't have pens to write with because their parents don't have enough money to buy them." 5.56 61. SMV FELANA READING ON THE BLACKBOARD(2 SHOTS) 6.04 62. VARIOUS OF FELANA AND OTHER CHILDREN IN CLASS (2 SHOTS) 6,13 63. SMV , FATHER PEDRO PLAYING WITH THE CHILDREN 6.16 64. SMV GIRLS READING THEIR BOOKS 6.19 65. VARIOUS OF KIDS WAVING AT HE CAMERA (2 SHOTS) 6.25 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th February 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR
- Country: Madagascar
- Reuters ID: LVA6Z0AGPZER8T0HFGHQCQAAFHHD
- Story Text: In 1989, Father Pedro Opeka, an Argentinian
priest declared war on Madagascar's crippling poverty: the
war is far from over, but Father Pedro has already won some
crucial battles.
For Angelo and his sister Felana, it's the
beginning of another school day -- they put finishing
touches on their homework, and then walk the few hundred
metres from home to school.
Few children in the world look forward to this journey
us much as they do. For them, this is a new life -- before,
they had nowhere to go. Now, they have a proper house and go
to school -- a dream come true.
"Living here is much better. I can go to school. I feel
like the other children," says Angelo, "I have clothes, I
eat, I play. "
In 1989, one man decided to declare war on Madagascar's
crippling poverty: Father Pedro Opeka, an Argentinean priest
who came here as a missionary in the 70s. His mother tongue
may be Spanish -- but his language of preference is now
Malagasy.
With seventy per cent of Malagasy's living below the
poverty line, Madagascar is one of the world's poorest
countries. Fifteen years ago, Tana's municipal rubbish dump
was crawling with people who lived off the trash, looking
for edible left-overs and bits of wood to cook with.
So Father Pedro set up 'Akamasoa', Malagasy for "Good
friends" -- a community of people who work together. It's
become the biggest humanitarian project on the island
--they've built 3500 houses, accommodating 17,000 people.
Angele Rogeria, Angelo mother says, "before we lived in
the city. I had build a house with my husband but it was
destroyed by a cyclone and my husband died. I couldn't send
my children to school anymore, the rent in Tana was too
high. Then, I was told to see Father Pedro. Today my
children eat at the canteen, we have a house, and I'm
working. I don't earn much, but we can live now."
While Angelo shows off his new knowledge to the rest of
his class, the fires are lit and lunch is cooking a few
houses down. It's Mama Jory's job to make sure that all the
children are fed once a day. "We feed 7000 children every
day, the only day we don't cook is Saturday," says Mama
Jory. "The Akamasoa head cook, "They don't eat beans all the
time, on Mondays they get rice too, and greens on Tuesdays
-- and when we have the budget, we cook meat."
A large proportion of the money to run the project comes
from donors -- but the people here have to do their bit too.
"I have always said that if someone is prepared to work,
then I have to help them," says Father Pedro. "It's sad that
people waste so much time making speeches and seminars that
don't lead to anything -- and the poor don't get off the
street. You have to into their environment to help them, so
that you can all join forces and get out of it together.
That's what we're doing at Akamasou."
Manantenasoa co-ordinator, Marie Razafimanandraisoa
adds, "If they agree to work, if they sent their kids to
school, if they find a way to contribute a small sum towards
their house, then we give them the house. But there are some
people who can't handle that discipline, and who prefer to
leave."
They started off by quarrying the land around their new
villages -- chipping stones to build their own houses. Today
the quarries make money for the project too, selling stones
to local construction companies.
"It's hard work. But my husband is sick and I came here
to ask for help," says Louise Ravaoarisoa, "they're looking
after him, and we don't have to buy expensive medicine
anymore. And I'm chipping stones to make some money for us."
The number of different jobs and workshops has grown
steadily. The women make bags, mats, sacks and tablecloths.
For young men there's the carpentry workshop, which gives
them the skills they need to be independent. The carpentry
teacher, Patrice Ramanantoanina says, "we train young people
who aren't so suited to secondary education, so they get
taught a job instead. We have about 40 of them, in three
workshops. They learn to work with different types of wood
and produce all kinds of furniture -- but above all they
make desks for the schools."
Only the elderly get free handouts. Twice a week, 365
old people come to get a food package that lasts them
through the week. And everyone has access to free health
services, whoever they are and wherever they live. Akamasoa
has succeeded where many governments have failed -- it's a
living example that poverty can be defeated.
"People don't have time to wait. They need help today,
not tomorrow, not the day after -- today. We have the means,
the means and the capacity -- what is missing, is often the
will, the political will and the conviction that it's
possible," says Father Pedro. "The work that we do here
shows that poverty can be eradicated -- things can be
changed so quickly, and we don't say that with words, we say
it with our actions."
The people of Akamasoa have lots more work cut out for
them . 600 houses are needed for people still in temporary
shelters. And although the kids go to school, learning
conditions aren't ideal. "The children are really very
motivated. But school supplies can be a problem for them.
For example, many don't have pens to write with because
their parents don't have enough money to buy them." Says
Evaristine Bamiza a teacher.
Still, 7033 children go to school here, who all came
from the street or the slum, with little chance in life.
They have always been Father Pedro's biggest motivation. For
him, every child that is given a future is a victory for the
whole of humanity.
ENDS.
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