Contact Information
Learning about Madagascar
Expectations about Communication
Telephone Calls
Communicating in Cases of Emergency
Sending Packages
This is my current mailing address while in training. I will update this information once it changes.
While in training:
Lynette Tillery, PCV
Bureau du Corps de la Paix
B.P. 12091
Poste Zoom Ankorondrano
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar
After Training:
Lynette Tillery, PCV
c/o U.S. Peace Corps Madagascar
Villa les Lierres
Lot IIk76, Lot. Bonnet Ivandry
Antananarivo
Madagascar
Phone: (+261) 20.224.3820
Family and Friends Letter
This is the letter given to us from Peace Corps to be given to the people I care about that explains the process of the upcoming months in reference to communication and sending packages.
Dear Families
and Friends,
Greetings
from the Madagascar Deskin Washington, D.C.! It is with great pleasure
that we welcome you to the Peace
Corps circle of friendship. We receive many questions from family members and friends about life in Madagascar over the course of a Volunteers’ two years of service,
so we would like to offer you some advice and assistance in advance.
Learning about Madagascar
The Peace Corps experience
can be an exciting, intimidating, and amazing
experience for both the Volunteer and family. The Volunteers will learn a lot about Madagascar
both in preparation for service and throughout their service of two years. This is also a great time for you to learn more about Madagascar, which may alleviate some of your concerns.
Below are a few links to help jumpstart your discovery:
·
PC/Madagascar Instagram
Expectations about Communication
The Madagascar Country Desk at Peace Corps Headquarters maintains regular contact with the Peace Corps office
in Antananarivo through phone calls and email. However, these communications are reserved for business only and cannot be used to relay personal messages. All communication between family members and the Volunteer should be done via international mail, personal phone calls, or email.
Please note the critical importance of communicating your concerns with the Madagascar Country Deskat Peace Corps/Washington, rather than reaching out directly to staff in Madagascar. The in-country staff’s primary responsibility is guiding
the health and productive service of the 130 Volunteers on the ground, and thus they do not have the capacity to directly assist family members. The Peace Corps/Madagascar office is in direct and frequent
contact with the Madagascar Desk. We at the Madagascar
Desk are well equipped
to take your questions
and talk about your concerns.
The mail service in Madagascar is not as efficient
as the U.S. Postal Service. Thus, it is important
to be patient.
It can take from one to two months for mail coming from Madagascar to arrive in the United States via the Madagascan mail system. From a Volunteer’s community, mail might take up to one to two months to reach the United States depending
upon how far the Volunteer is from the capital
city, Antananarivo.
We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer
to give an estimate
of how long it takes for him or her to
receive your letters
and then try to establish a predictable
pattern of how often you will write to
each other. Also try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer
knows if he or she missed one. Postcards should be sent in envelopes.
Volunteers often enjoy telling their “frontline” development stories when they
write home. Letters
might describe recent illnesses, lack of good food, isolation, etc. While the subject matter is often good reading material, it can easily be misinterpreted
by family and friends.
Please do not assume that if your loved one gets sick
that
he or she has not been attended to. The city of Antananarivo has medical and dental facilities, and there are Peace Corps Medical Officers there as well. Most Volunteers can reach the office in less than one day’s time. Volunteer’s also
have cell phones so that they can call our medical office. In the event of a serious
illness the Volunteer is sent to Antananarivo and is cared for by our Medical Unit. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in Madagascar, he/she will be medically
evacuated to a location
that does. Fortunately, such circumstances are very rare.
Generally,
no news is good news. But, if you become
very concerned because your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your loved one for an unusual length of time, you can contact the Counseling and Outreach Unit (COU) at Peace Corps in Washington at 855.855.1961,
extension 1470 (or direct: 202.692.1470). The COU will then contact
Peace Corps staff in Antananarivo, and ask them to check up on the Volunteer. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden illness, etc.), please do not hesitate
to call COU immediately if you cannot get a hold of your loved one, so that the Volunteer
can be informed
by a member of Peace Corps/
Madagascar staff.
Telephone Calls
The telephone system
in Madagascar is relatively reliable, although some Volunteers in the interior of the country may have sporadic
cell phone coverage. Improved cell phone service
in Madagascar now enables families to call to Volunteers at or near their sites nearly 24/7.
Internet is becoming
more widespread, allowing
for occasional Skype or other internet-based calls. This can usually work, but there are also innumerable factors that can make the best-laid
plans fall apart – even something as simple as a big thunderstorm can hinder connectivity. Please recognize that a short lapse in communication with your Volunteer is not necessarily cause for alarm.
Note that Peace Corps staff in Antananarivo and Washington cannot assist in arranging calls with your family member. The Volunteer will inform you of
their local telephone number sometime in the weeks after their arrival. When dialing direct to Madagascar from the U.S.,
dial 011 (the international access code) + 261 (the country code) + the number.
Communicating in Cases of Emergency
In cases of emergency
at home (death in the family, sudden illness, etc.), you can contact the Counseling and Outreach
Unit (COU) at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C., at 855.855.1961, extension 1470. COU will contact Peace Corps/Madagascar staff, who can deliver a message to the Volunteer.
The COU office is available 24/7. For urgent afterhours calls,
tell the operator your name, telephone number, and the nature of the emergency,
and the Duty Officer will call you back.
If you do not hear from your Volunteer for an unusual length of time, you may contact the Madagascar Country Desk, who will contact
Peace Corps/Madagascar staff on your behalf. However,
please remember that cell phone/internet access will not be as consistent as in the U.S., and a short lapse in communication is not necessarily cause for concern.
Sending Packages
Although care packages
are appreciated by Volunteers, sending packages
can be a frustrating experience for all involved
due to the high incidence
of theft and heavy customs
taxes. Please be advised that packages can take a minimum of
1-2
months (sometimes more) to arrive. Be aware that Volunteers will be responsible for paying “pickup fees” for all packages. Packages in large padded envelopes are taxed less heavily. We do not recommend
sending costly items or electronics through the mail, as custom charges can be exorbitant
AND there is always a slight risk of theft or damage.
During
Pre-Service Training,
you can use this address
to send letters and/or packages
to your
“Name,” PCV
Bureau du Corps de la
Paix
B.P. 12091
Poste Zoom
Ankorondrano
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar
After training,
your Volunteer may choose to use a local post office box in a different part of the country. Please ask your Volunteer
to communicate their preferred
address with you.
We suggest sending letters and packages
using the U.S. Postal Service,
as courier services and associated package
pickup costs tend to be prohibitively expensive.
However, for lightweight but important items (identity
documents, replacement credit cards,
etc.), you may want to use a courier
service such as DHL or FedEx.
If you choose to send items through a courier service, you must address the package to:
“Name,” PCV
c/o U.S. Peace Corps Madagascar
Villa les Lierres
Lot IIk76, Lot. Bonnet
Ivandry
Antananarivo
Madagascar
Phone: (+261) 20.224.3820
Trying to send cash or checks is very risky and is discouraged. If your Volunteer
family member requests money from you, it is his/her
responsibility toarrange receipt.
Western Union may be a better option for sending money.
We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family memb er is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar. We understand
how challenging it can be to communicate with your family member overseas
and we appreciate your using this information as a guideline. Please feel free to contact me at the Madagascar Desk in Washington, D.C., if you have any further
questions. My phone number is 202.692.2260 and you can email me at Madagascar@peacecorps.gov.
Sincerely,
Najima Bawa
Country Desk Officer | Madagascar
