Outlook Expeditions: Kilgraston

First class face painting.

July 11, 2012 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

School vacation has arrived. That means more kids around Akany. And not just our kids. This is the time of the year we host teenage student groups coming to Madagascar for trekking and volunteering. We will be hosting 7 groups this July and August.

We were proud to welcome the Kilgraston school as our first group of the season. Their Outlook Expeditions adventure brought them to Akany for 5 days. The 15 students and leaders spent a day seeing our village and the market and even learning a little Malagasy. Then they got to work.

They dipped some brushes and rolled some rollers as they painted the doors, windows and walls of the administrative office. In a few short days, the office looking beautiful and they moved on to freshening up the outside walls of the cafe.

Painting windows in the administrative office.

Music Maker

Sammy playing one of the more than 20 different instruments used in the concert.

Nov. 3, 2011 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

If people start asking for our children's autographs soon, we will understand. 

As part of a 6 month music project, our children will be recording a music CD. They actually "hit the studio" for the first time yesterday. But they are not alone on the CD. They are being led by the famed Malagasy musician Sammy Andriamalalaharijaona. 

Sammy is a virtuosic instrumentalist of international renown. Not only can he play all the traditional instruments of Madagascar, he can also make them. As part of the project with Akany Avoko, he has made 10 valiha and 10 kabosy that our children will learn to play. He will also be working with our kids to producing several more valiha and flutes with our kids using our own homegrown bamboo.