Ecofem Tales

  There are people whose names seem destined for their life’s work and Voahary Rakotovelomanantsoa is one of them. In Malagasy, “Voahary” means nature a fitting name for a woman whose career has been devoted to protecting the environment and uplifting her community. Voahary is a Malagasy environmental leader and politician known for linking environmental conservation with community and women’s empowerment. She is the former Governor of the Anôsy region in southern Madagascar and has also served as Minister of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. Her environmental work focuses on forest conservation, sustainable water management, alternative energy use, and climate resilience, especially at the community level. She strongly advocates for women’s leadership in environmental decision-making, reflecting key ecofeminist principles. Voahary’s story began not in government or academia, but in the everyday reality of Malagasy life. She built her first business while still a student a water...

Wangari Maathai's book "Unbowed" unveils her resolve and resilence towards environmental care and conservation. In a review of this book, we have been able to draw seven important lessons anyone interested in environmental advocacy can draw from. 1. Environmental Care Is Inseparable from Social Justice Environmental degradation is closely linked to poverty, inequality, and political oppression. Sustainable environments require just social systems. Maathai shows that deforestation worsened hunger, water scarcity, and women’s burdens. In an excerpt from her book, this statement strikes a chord: “The environment and human rights are closely linked.” Thus, environmental care is a part of the human rights struggle and should be treated as one and the same. Environmental rights are human rights. 2. Small, Local Actions Can Create Large-Scale Change Maathai shows that sustainability does not begin with governments alone; it starts with communities taking simple, practica...