Transforming Lives in Madagascar

On September 15, 2016 just as the sun was rising and breaking through the mist in Ranomafana National Park, a remote rainforest in the southeast of Madagascar that is home to one of Stony Brook’s global sites, a group of individuals gathered in front of Centre ValBio, the Park’s prestigious research station. Patricia Wright, Founder and Executive Director of the research station, and Jun Liu, Vice Provost for Stony Brook Global Affairs were among the crowd of people set to accompany Trey Murphy, a young business man in his own right at the age of 21, to the village of Ranomafana where he would be donating a waste management vehicle.

Followed closely by the waste management vehicle, the group drove down the steep hill leading into the village to meet with the Mayor and present him with the community’s important new asset. This was not the first time the Mayor of Ranomafana village had met Trey Murphy. Trey explained his relationship to Ranomafana in a brief interview:

I started out as a study abroad student in the fall of 2014 in Stony Brook’s anthropology program. I study business management at Stony Brook, but when I heard about our school’s connection to Madagascar, I took a chance and ended up loving it. I enjoyed the anthropology courses, but I also spent time on the trip thinking about business opportunities in Madagascar. Ranomafana now feels like home to me. I have met some incredible people and really enjoy the Malagasy way of life. Everyone cares about each other and their community, and the personal connections are very strong.

I feel like the waste management vehicle is something that Ranomafana has needed since the inception of its National Park. Tourism is increasing every year and so is the trash produced from hosting over 30,000 guests per year. As a member of the community I felt like this was something I could provide that would benefit everyone. My business focus is ecotourism, and I believe everyone visiting Ranomafana in the future will notice the cleanliness as a result of our group effort.

On one of Trey’s previous visits he established a kayaking company, providing tourists the unique opportunity to immerse themselves into the rainforest and explore the scenery along two distinct routes. He is also currently in the process of launching a business for the harvesting and production of essential oils that will hopefully serve as a sustainable, income-generating program for the people of Ranomafana. Trey was asked how he noticed the need for a new waste management system and what the implications of this new system are, to which he replied:

I spend a lot of time in the village and it has been upsetting to see the amount of trash that is deposited on the side of the road or in the river. It’s my hope that we can significantly reduce the amount of visible waste all the way from the village up to Centre ValBio.

Something that’s extremely important about implementing this program is properly educating the community members about it. If everyone is able to understand the benefits that we will all receive from participating, I believe it will be a success. Failure to properly communicate the purpose and goal of the system will be a setback, and it has been the downfall of past efforts to clean up Ranomafana.

The group was well received by Ranomafana representatives including the Mayor, two Vice Presidents, and the Head of Waste Management and Development. The Mayor expressed his deeply felt gratitude toward Trey for his contributions to Ranomafana National Park and led discussions on the vehicle’s implementation plan.  When asked what his long term vision for Ranomafana National Park, Trey replied.

I want to help make Ranomafana the number one national park and ecotourism destination in Madagascar. Currently our park is the fourth most visited out of the 25 parks in the country. By setting a positive example for other parks and communities to follow and by also launching a sustainable tourism businesses, I know this can be achieved. It’s vital to the continued success of Madagascar as a whole that we protect its unique environmental assets. I plan to work on this goal for years to come.

Trey is a perfect example of how influential study abroad can be and what a difference it can make in not only the lives of its students, but within the communities where programs exist. We are extremely proud of Trey and hope that his story will serve as inspiration for other students to consider the impact that a short three months of immersive exposure to a different culture can have on their lives.

To learn more about the program in Madagascar, please visit the Study Abroad website.