10 September 1999

Bonn, Germany: Pierre Galo Coffi, an international UNV specialist in rural development, has tapped the energy of youth football teams to plant trees in a heavily deforested area of Madagascar. The 42-year-old from Benin and his colleagues have invested three years in a regional development plan that seeks to get residents involved in reforestation campaigns. Local authorities have expressed their support and interest. The approach is working.

There are 131,601 residents of the Ambato-Boeny sub-prefecture, located in north-west Madagascar. Although the area is rich in natural resources, it is threatened by deforestation and poor farming practices. Following 30 years of economic hard times in Madagascar, many people have resettled in the fertile region to plant rice, peanuts or cotton. "Erosion causes deep ravines known as lavaka," explains Pierre. The crust of the soil is so hard that water can no longer penetrate it, hoes and roots cannot break through and encroaching sand dunes swallow up more and more farm land each year."

With the advice of UNVs and other members of the project team, area residents have launched an anti-erosion campaign to combat conditions currently threatening their livelihood. They dig wells, build dams and garden nurseries. They plant trees. According to Bernard Crabbé, a technical adviser and project coordinator, some 60 per cent of the population of the Indian Ocean island off the southeast coast of Africa is under the age of 20. "Young people represent a major potential in human resources," he says.

Pierre Galo Coffi, who works in Bernard Crabbé's team, mentioned this idea one day to the mayor and other local officials with whom he regularly plays football. During his meetings with the mayor, Pierre developed his idea: promote sporting events and link up young people in activities to protect the environment."The idea came gradually after seeing the many deserted football fields on the island and thinking about all the idle young people." The idea was well accepted by the local population. Football associations began to formulate plans under which young football players learn to protect the environment. "Young people helped stabilize the soil in the lavakas to stop erosion," explains Pierre. "They are also working in the garden nurseries, and we appreciate their effectiveness."

Bernard Crabbé notes that the volunteers, age 11 to 20, are "very motivated", adding: "They are interested in ecology." For International Environment Day in June, they set up information stands in schools on ways to protect the environment. New ideas continue to emerge from the original project. Studies carried out by the UNV helped bring about a detailed report that the mayor used to secure funding from the European Development Fund to repair the local market. Merchants no longer complain about paying their taxes.

"We are now discussing a new system of municipal waste management," says Bernard Crabbé. "And once again, it was Pierre's concept. Things are going well. It was through Pierre's interpersonal relations that many of these ideas for local development have come about."