Masoala Forest Lodge is a sustainable tourism lodge that benefits the local communities through employment, purchasing of local products and services, and funding community and environmental projects.
The lodge is now closed due to the covid-19 crisis, and must remain so, until the travel restrictions are lifted and tourism restarts.
We are trying to keep as many of our staff as we can, but can employ only 20 out of a total of 60 staff, on a shift basis. With each employee supporting an average family of 5, this leaves 200 people without income. In this remote area, there is no prospect of alternative jobs or financial aid.
The closure of the lodge has also halted the purchasing of local products and services.
The loss of this tourism generated income to the area results in pressure on the environment. Activities such as slash and burn agriculture and the harvesting of timber and other natural resources from the forest will increase.
Projects, funded by the lodge, that will cease without our continued support, include:
• a village pre-school, where we provide free meals, basic education and child-care for the village pre-school age children
• assisting the village primary school with the maintenance of the buildings and provision of books, stationary, sports equipment and school uniforms
• village and beach cleaning operations to keep this unspoilt area pristine
We would love to be able to continue to support all our staff and the local communities until this crisis passes and we can get back to normal. But we can only do it with your help.
If you could support this project by making a donation and / or sharing it with your network, we would greatly appreciate it. We know that money can be tight, especially in times like now, so please rest assured that any contribution will help.
We guarantee that all donations will be used for these goals.
Meet some of the people who will benefit from this fundraiser by following us on Instagram or Facebook, where we will post updates. We will also keep you informed on our website blog.
If you have any questions about the lodge and how we will use the donated funds, do contact us and we will be more than happy to answer them.
Maria and Pierre Bester
info@masoalaforestlodge.com