Red Island Restoration

06/11/2025

Hey friends! We’re moving to a new platform for all our updates about life and ministry in Madagascar 🇲🇬 and Kenya 🇰🇪.
We’d love for you to keep following along — but you can only do that if you subscribe! ❤️

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01/11/2025

One last baby girl born at the Sarobidy Maternity Center to close out the month of October. 💗

30/09/2025

A closer look at what’s happening in major cities across Madagascar. The last clip is the people shouting for the President to step down.

29/09/2025

Please pray for Madagascar. Riots, fires, looting, and bloodshed in all the major cities, including our city of Mahajanga.

28/09/2025

On September 11, 2025, a devastating fire broke out at our Ankarafantsika site, marking a tragic event for our team and the forest. The fire, one of our greatest adversaries, erupted unexpectedly and rapidly engulfed parts of the site. The cause remains unknown, with no witnesses to the fire’s origin, but its impact is undeniable, compelling us to confront the crisis and seek immediate solutions.

The RIR team, led by Joshua, is diligently digging fire lanes around the planting sites, striving to contain the fire and safeguard the young trees that hold the promise of Ankarafantsika’s future forest. To support these efforts, we have deployed the Unimog to aid in firefighting operations.

On September 22, 2025, a second fire erupted at one of our planting sites, once again threatening the young trees we have worked so hard to nurture and endangering the future of the forest. As we speak, brave forest guards from Ampijoroa and Befotoana have swiftly mobilized to combat the blaze, uniting in a determined effort to protect what remains. The battle continues, with a tractor and car from the national park joining the fight, supporting the guards and park workers in their relentless efforts to stop the fire from destroying our planting sites. Now, more than ever, we must stand united to protect Ankarafantsika, a vital ecosystem that sustains the Malagasy community and must be preserved for future generations.

Our latest update from the ground indicates significant progress. The firefighting efforts, though initially daunting, have become more manageable, with the situation now largely under control. The bravery and dedication of our team have been instrumental in this improvement. Driven by their love for the forest and commitment to environmental preservation, they have poured their all into saving Ankarafantsika.

We urge you to support our courageous team on the ground by keeping them in your prayers as they battle the fires at Ankarafantsika. To contribute to their efforts and help restore this vital forest, please consider donating at https://arcrestoration.org/donate/

Learn more about our Ampijoroa and Befotoana here: https://arcrestoration.org/madagascar/ankarafantsika/

Explore these sites via explore.land by OpenForests at https://explorer.land/x/project/ankarafantsikanp

26/09/2025

Important Newsletter Update! Sadly, it seems that some of our recent newsletters have been going to SPAM folders. CLICK BELOW to read our latest update with some important information and how to stay up to date with the ministries in Madagascar and Kenya!
https://redislandrestoration.com/a-season-of-twists-turns-and-gods-goodness/

22/09/2025

Fire update in Madagascar— Over the weekend the Malagasy RIR/ARC team members along with Ankarafantsika National Park employees stopped the fires from jumping our firelanes and saved our planting site. But sadly, shortly after, more fires were intentionally started and this time within our planting sites. The Malagasy team, along with many villagers fought fires again today using all means possible to control the rapidly moving flames. Please pray for their safety and that those guilty for starting these fires will be caught. Also pray for the RIR team leaders as they meet tomorrow with the park authorities to seek a path forward to protect this precious forest and restoration effort.

22/09/2025

It takes a village! Thank you to all that support the ministries in both Madagascar and Kenya! We couldn't do this vital work without your generous partnership!

15/09/2025

Beautiful mamas and chunky babies- our August graduates from the Sarobidy Maternity Center.

14/09/2025

14/09/2025

Please pray for Ankarafantsika National Park in Madagascar and our team there who is partnering with the government and others to fight 2 fires. We have sent our Unimog with two large water tanks along with water backpacks for our team to help combat the blaze. The last two days the RIR team has been digging fire lanes around our planting sites with the hope that they can stop the fires and protect their future forest. They have successfully put out one fire and tomorrow morning will continue fighting the second fire that threatens one of our planting sites, where we recently planted tens of thousands of trees in January. Below are some photos and videos of the teams at work. The Governor of Mahajanga also put out a social media post recognizing the partnership with Red Island Restoration (RIR) in fighting these fires. Click this link to see the post.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HnYhKGtsW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Thank you for your prayers and financial generosity which allows these efforts to be possible.

11/09/2025

Back into the swing of the school year with 31 freshman and sophomore guys!