AVON-BY-THE-SEA — The Avon-By-The-Sea Public Library recently welcomed Philawell nonprofit founder Karen Cohen, for a vanilla extract-making program that benefits the impoverished villages of Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa.
Philawell was founded by Cohen, a Marlboro resident and retired Philadelphia schoolteacher. In 2024, after a vacation to South Africa and eventually Madagascar, she saw firsthand the challenges the Malagasy people face in their daily lives.
“I want to spread awareness and I want people to understand how devastatingly poor some of the villages are there…to the point where the one village that I visit often, they’ve never had running water in their lives, ever, so we’re working on that to make it happen,” said Cohen.
Philawell has been working to provide clean, safe and easily accessible water to the people of the Betemboro village, having built two rain-sustainable wells, with a solar-powered well installation in progress for during drought periods, that will be ready by July.
Through the nonprofit, Cohen said she has also been able to provide necessities such as flip-flops to protect the barefoot schoolchildren, in addition to clothing and toiletries.
About 20 residents gathered at the Avon library in late March to make vanilla extract from Madagascar vanilla beans, under the direction of Cohen and her team. They shared with participants the work of Philawell and guided them through the process of making homemade vanilla extract from bean to bottling and labeling.
A conversation between Cohen and her friend, who asked Cohen to bring vanilla beans back to the states, sparked the idea that vanilla could be a great way of raising money, too.
“One thing I learned about vanilla beans there — bees don’t pollinate them, humans do…it’s amazing,” she said. “When I went back the second time, I bought so much of it and I started researching, ‘What can I do with vanilla to make a good sale?’ and then number one, I found out that the Madagascar vanilla is probably the best in the world, and people love to make vanilla extract or use it for baking and cooking, and it took off.”
“Everyone who attended had a great time,” said Sheila Watson, library director. “Karen and her crew couldn’t have done a better job sharing their love and commitment to the Philawell program – we all learned so much about Madagascar and making vanilla extract.”
The fresh vanilla bean is split down the middle to expose the flavorful seeds, before being placed into a jar and covered with a high-proof alcohol such as vodka. It is then sealed shut and placed in a cool, dark place to steep for up to six months to a year.
Together, the group shared vanilla-making, conversation, and pizza, while supporting a great cause.
“The fee that we charged for the program went directly to the foundation, and each participant left with a bottle of homemade vanilla extract,” said Watson. “(It was) an amazing reminder of the people of Madagascar – it was a great opportunity to give a voice to a cause and provide a few hours of education and entertainment for my patrons.”
Philawell was able to raise $1,040, between the program fee and vanilla bean sales, all of which went directly to continue these projects.
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