Soavola Myrina Waed is the general manager of SoaRoots ReForest, a Madagascar-based social enterprise focused on landscape restoration and host to GLFx Sambirano.
Waed was invited to participate in the AFR100 Restoration Academy 2026, taking place from 18–20 August 2026 in Saly, Senegal. Co-organized by the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition (METE) of Senegal, the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the event featured two days of interactive workshops and a field visit, designed to foster practical learning, peer exchange and networking among forest landscape restoration professionals across Africa and beyond.
As part of a GLF interview series called ‘Voices of the Landscapes,’ Waed shared about her work in Sambirano, the northern tip of Madagascar, and the benefits of participating in the academy.
- Can you tell us about your organization and the work you do within GLFx Sambirano?
SoaRoots ReForest is a social enterprise based in Madagascar focused on reforestation that aims to make landscape restoration a driver of sustainable local development in our territory. We are committed to strengthening our community’s resilience by setting up local nurseries, which support an agroforestry approach as well as community and individual reforestation projects. We also dedicate a great deal of effort to protecting riverbanks to preserve our community’s ancestral and agricultural lands.
We work with the community at every stage of our actions, and we carry out numerous community awareness-raising and environmental education activities, particularly with children in schools. This is also why we joined the GLFx network, as GLFx Sambirano.
Through GLFx Sambirano, we can open ourselves up to solve other concerns faced by our community, such as sustainable pasture management. It is also an opportunity to learn from others’ experiences, while sharing our own. - What was the Restoration Academy about?
The aim of the Restoration Academy was to highlight the actions and good practices of the various landscape and forest restoration actors that contribute to the Africa Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100). This academy also showcased the efforts, tools and initiatives that enable everyone to advance restoration in their own territory.
We realized that, without necessarily knowing it, we were already contributing to this dynamic through our local initiatives.
Photo: Soavola Myrina Waed - What did it mean to you to participate in this event?
For me, it was first and foremost a form of recognition and legitimacy of our actions at the local level. It was also a great opportunity to strengthen my skills in landscape restoration, to share our experience and to learn from others.
Attending the academy allowed me to discover new restoration tools and better understand the possibilities that exist for advancing our actions. Finally, it was an important opportunity to represent our community and our region through our local initiatives.
Photo: Soavola Myrina Waed - How was your experience? What were the most interesting topics for you?
My experience went very well. I met people carrying out extraordinary actions in different corners of Africa. I had a great deal of exchanges and received a lot of advice from professionals, which sparked several new ideas for action.
Every exchange and conversation was very enriching for me, and I think this experience also allowed me to expand my professional network.
I also enjoyed meeting so many women committed to their communities and to landscape restoration. It is truly heartwarming to meet people who share the same convictions and who experience similar realities.
Photo: Soavola Myrina Waed - What lessons did you take away from the Restoration Academy?
Restoration is an approach that must first and foremost focus on people.
When communities are truly involved and understand the importance of their environment, they can naturally become the guardians of their own resources and their territory, as I have always believed.
My main lesson is that every action counts. We simply need to ensure that our local actions can have a broader impact, particularly by connecting with professional networks, sharing our experiences and learning from one another.
