Jan. 17, 2024 - During the year she was volunteering with the Peace Corps as a teacher in Madagascar, (海角社区CI) alumna Alyson Lucas witnessed the severity of the country鈥檚 water crisis on a daily basis.
鈥淚n the high school where I was teaching, my students were walking two kilometers to the nearest rice field to get water in order to cook or just wipe down the blackboard,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淲hen I tried it, I really struggled carrying it. It鈥檚 45 kilos per Jerry Can.鈥�
Lucas went to Madagascar with the Peace Corps right after she graduated in 2022 with a degree in Global Studies and stayed until fall of 2023. Then, she and another Peace Corps worker from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Will Huestis, started their own non-governmental agency (NGO).
It鈥檚 called Zarasoa - which means 鈥渟haring good鈥� - and the mission is to train Madagascar locals to harvest rainwater using a technique developed by another similar NGO that concentrates on a different part of the country.
The system involves building 5,000 liter basins to trap rainwater, and has proven to be an economical and effective alternative to drilling for water.
鈥淭he rainwater is good quality as long as the gutters are kept clean and the tank has a maintenance schedule,鈥� Lucas said.
Lucas met her partner at pre-program training in Washington DC and they both served in Madagascar. Lucas and Huestis were immediate best friends and had the same goals to help countries by working with local leaders.
鈥淥ur mission statement is to train local leaders versus rainwater harvesting,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淲e have a team of construction workers we trained with the construction of rainwater harvesting systems. It鈥檚 one of the first construction-based organizations to include women.鈥�
海角社区CI Professor of Political Science Andrea Grove said she was 鈥渂lown away鈥� by her project, and that, after her return to the U.S., she spoke to two of Grove鈥檚 classes about the water project and the NGO. Grove is not surprised at Lucas鈥� resourcefulness, which she noticed in Global Studies classes and during the Peace Corps preparation program Lucas completed.
鈥淪he was in Model UN the first semester she came,鈥� Grove said. 鈥淚t was immediately clear how sharp she was, and eager to develop her skills. She had a real commitment to leave the U.S. and experience what it鈥檚 like to be in another culture.鈥�
Lucas taught English to Malagasy high school students when she served in the Peace Corps, and the experience, she said, was even richer than Lucas expected. Madagascar is a culturally diverse country with 17 different dialects and ethnicities.
鈥淚 learned how to speak Malagasy,鈥� Lucas said. 鈥淲hen you greet people you say 鈥�Akory n鈥檡 ala鈥� or 鈥榟ow is the forest doing?鈥� It鈥檚 one example of how connected the people are to the land.鈥�
Lucas said she can鈥檛 thank Grove and Political Science Lecturer Chris Scholl enough for inspiring her to go on the adventure of a lifetime, which is just beginning.
If you would like to learn more about or donate to the NGO Lucas and Huestis run, visit the website.