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| The gracious trail builders and some grateful kiddies. |
August 21, 2010 text and photos by Chad Lebo
There is a new addition to Akany Avoko: Lalana Meva Kely (Beautiful Little Trail). And the pleasantly twisty path is thanks to some wonderful Welsh volunteers from Outlook Expeditions who joined the Akany family in August.
Their stay was short, but their work was grand. In less than a week, the busy beavers hacked and polished the gnarly back slope of the property into a delightful trail complete with an outdoor classroom. They even painted a brilliant sign and held a couple inaugural events to introduce Akany's newest feature.
The childcare children were treated to nice walk and a wonderful book reading in the outdoor classroom. The older children had a more eventful kickoff with a feisty bout of racing round the dirt trail. The volunteers took a few fast laps themselves to finish off the competition.
The trail has been the site of a few tasty cookouts too. Just last weekend, eight hard-studying girls grilled up some chicken and burgers to relax before taking the baccalaureate test last week. The childcare kids have returned for a few more walks on their own. The older kids can stop by the outdoor classroom on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons for 30 minutes of a book read-aloud (in Malagasy).
The trail is being used and being loved. All thanks to the thoughtful and caring Outlook Expedition volunteers who donated their sweat and money to make it all happen. To find out more about other ways they helped Akany and how the rest of their Madagascar adventure went, visit their blog.
[Click the below pics to enlarge and enjoy.]
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