A Celebration of the Life of Jocelyne Vololoniaina Razafiarivony

Jocelyne's work involved supporting local communities across the six dioceses of Madagascar to become strong and resilient against the many natural disasters that affect the country as well as the economic shocks that are still being experienced as a result of the pandemic.

Jocelyne was a former English grammar schoolteacher, working part time as a Mothers' Union Diocesan Community Development Coordinator (CDC) for 16 years. She also served as a civil servant leading the Early Childhood and Literacy Department of the Analamanga region in Antananarivo until 2017, when she became the Provincial Community Development Coordinator of Mothers' Union full time.

As Provincial Coordinator, Jocelyne supported members and their wider communities to become strong and resilient against natural disasters and climate change including drought and famine. In 2021, Jocelyne further strengthened her skills and knowledge by completing a year long global resilience learning exchange course led by the Anglican Alliance and Episcopal Relief & Development. The final requirement of the course was to implement a pilot capstone project in Antananarivo and Toliara dioceses which focussed on building community resilience in health and mental wellbeing, a first in the Church in Madagascar. 

As a skilled facilitator and trainer, much of Jocelyne’s work had been helping communities realise their assets and building on their own knowledge and skills, learning from previous disasters using community mapping and other participatory tools. Helping them develop locally owned and contextualised disaster preparedness plans and climate change strategies including planting more trees, in particular productive trees, clear drainage channels to prevent flooding in cyclone season. In the drought ridden south they have mobilised communities to work together digging irrigation channels and given training in crop diversity and drought resistant or hardy plants. As a result communities in the Toliara diocese are now growing sweet potato for the first time in a decade which is yielding better harvests as well as improving their nutrition and diet. 

In addition to her national work, Jocelyne was one of the facilitators at the Lambeth Conference Bishop Spouses event in August 2022. She was also a keen advocate against climate change speaking at high level events including two organised by the UK Government organised Civil Society Voices on Gender and Climate as well as Women and Girls being Agents of Change during the UNCSW66 in 2022.

She was humble and deeply spiritual and truly lived her faith through this important resilience building and advocacy work, and we are so grateful for her life and legacy.