Transforming the Red Island: Inspiring journalists to cover Landscape Restoration
We recently launched our communication campaign on the importance of Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) in Madagascar. This was done together with GIZ and Forests4Future (F4F). The campaign was kicked off by a three-day journalist workshop in Diégo Suarez, located in the northern Diana region. The workshop was a great success and multiple agreements for future communications efforts were made.
The event was organised by Mbolatiana Rakotoarimalala, our Program and Communication Coordinator in Madagascar. “Madagascar was always known as the ‘Green Island’, now it has truly earned the title of the ‘Red Island’. Thanks to my previous job, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the alarming degradation of the land. As someone deeply concerned about the environment, I started searching online for ways to restore nature and how I stumbled upon Justdiggit. At Justdiggit I can be the ambassador of change and together we work on making Madagascar the ‘Green Island‘ again.”
In Ethiopia, Togo and Madagascar we work on the F4F project by spreading awareness about their regreening efforts. Our communication program in Madagascar has now officially been launched, starting with the journalist workshop. We’re also working on media coverage, billboard campaigns, movie roadshows, and painting murals across the Diana and Analamanga regions. But more about that in a future update!
The Journalist Workshop
At the workshop, we were joined by journalists from both the Diana region and the capital city, Antananarivo. The workshop’s aim was to educate journalists about the importance of FLR and learn how to cover it as a topic. The workshop was kicked off with an opening event, including inspiring speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the first mural. The three-day program included group work and role-playing assignments, plus talks from organisations such as GIZ, the regional authorities and the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
Of course, the program would not be complete without an opportunity to experience the projects first-hand. The journalists joined us on a field trip to several regreening sites where they got to meet and interview beneficiaries of the F4F program. This seems to have struck a chord: at the debriefing sessions the next day, the journalists stated they were amazed by the progress that is already being made and regret that society is not yet informed about these advancements.
The workshop was an insightful and inspiring experience for the participating journalists. Several agreements were made, including TV and radio advertorials to be broadcasted on local and national channels, as well as a new show to be created and broadcasted: “Matambelogno”, which is the name of endemic tree species in the north of Madagascar.
We want to thank everyone who made sure this event could happen. This includes our partners and colleagues, but above all the participants! We look forward to reading and listening about your experiences and, together with you, hope to inspire the community of Madagascar to support regreening efforts. Let’s dig in together!