The Sakalava people group are found in the west and northwest of Madagascar, the island which lies off the southeast coast of Africa.
It is the fourth largest island in the world, and strangely isolated in its biodiversity in that it is estimated that up to 90 per cent of all plant and animal species in Madagascar are only found there. It is also one of the poorest nations in the world, with a national per capita income at about £30 per month.
The gospel was first brought to the island in 1818 by two Welsh families: Thomas and Mary Bevan and David and Lucy Jones with their baby daughter Anna. But within months, except for David Jones, they had all died – probably due to the virulent malaria still endemic in Madagascar.
