CRS in Madagascar

CRS Work in Madagascar

In Madagascar, CRS supports projects in the following program areas:

Food Security

Food security refers to the availability, access and utilization of food. CRS/Madagascar supports activities in agriculture, nutrition and resource generation/accumulation by working with partners to identify motivated farmer groups, and provide them with technical assistance. The complementary integration of agriculture and health interventions is at the heart of CRS/Madagascar's approach to improving food security in underserved communities. The principal activities in this sector aim to aid rural households in improving access to markets, increasing and diversifying agricultural output, and generating or accumulating resources, as well as to improve nutritional practices of families to assure the better health of their children.

FFS Farmers with Cabbage

FFS Farmers with Cabbage

CRS supports projects intended to increase agricultural production and diversification through improved rice cultivation techniques, techniques that improve soil fertility, and vegetable gardening. The major project activities are scaling up the positive deviance or Hearth Model for nutrition, training in crop diversification with a focus on crops of high nutritional value and also crops with high commercial value through the Farmer Field School trainings. Estimated number of beneficiaries in 2005: 1,000,000 people.

HIV and AIDS

While Madagascar, unlike other sub-Saharan countries has not yet been ravaged by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), the health community is unified in believing that without swift and sustained intervention it is only a matter of time before AIDS will become a crisis in Madagascar. While the rate of HIV prevalence is currently approximately 1.1%, the STI (sexually transmitted infection) prevalence rate is one of the highest in the world, with a shocking 14% among pregnant women infected with an STI.

The main goals of CRS/Madagascar's HIV and AIDS program are to limit the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, to support communities and individuals who are fighting against the disease, and to raise awareness of the fact that people affected by HIV and AIDS deserve compassion, not condemnation. CRS/Madagascar takes a four-pronged approach in the AIDS sector: life skills education for children 9-13 both in and out of school; voluntary testing and counselling for sexually transmitted infections including HIV; increasing advocacy with the Catholic church for HIV and AIDS and increasing knowledge about STI/HIV with current partners, project participants and CRS staff in all sectors. Estimated number of beneficiaries in 2005: 500,000 people.

Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness

Madagascar is subject to a variety of natural disasters, including cyclones, droughts, floods, fires, and locust infestations. Cyclones, in particular, cause extensive long-term damage, most frequently along the country's eastern coast. Reconstruction efforts after the devastating effects of Cyclone Manou, which occurred in May of 2003, are still ongoing.

Through its partners, CRS/MG helps reduce the impact of disasters on vulnerable communities in Madagascar, by reinforcing local capacity to manage risks and disasters, by responding effectively and quickly to declared disasters, by contributing to post disaster rehabilitation efforts, and by expanding national disaster-related information management efforts. Prevention, Mitigation and Preparedness (PMP) activities take place before disaster strikes, while Response and Rehabilitation activities address the needs within a community when an emergency arises. More than 900 volunteers and staff have been trained in nationwide disaster prevention, data collection and response techniques that will help Madagascar's most vulnerable coastal communities develop their own comprehensive Preparedness and Mitigation Program Plans to combat disasters even before they occur. Estimated number of beneficiaries in 2005: 500,000 people.

Justice and Peacebuilding

Although internal conflict in Madagascar has been minimal with the exception of 2002's post-election events, the country presents deep-rooted justice issues as well as peacebuilding and reconciliation-related needs. CRS/MG addresses such issues as human, worker, and land tenure rights, while encouraging the growth of and participation in civil society.

CRS/Madagascar aims to promote and protect the rights of vulnerable populations including workers, prisoners, children, and women; to increase citizen participation in civic affairs; to ensure the practice of democratic processes; to reinforce state institutions toward better management; to improve land tenure security and community knowledge about land rights; and to promote access to basic services that maintain the human dignity of vulnerable populations. CRS/Madagascar will develop further programming in good governance in FY 2005, including supporting civil society and helping to improve government responsiveness and will continue to serve the most vulnerable populations through the provision of food and small project funds to over 80 social centers, mostly run by religious communities and local associations. Estimated number of beneficiaries in 2005: 500,000 people.

Some specific examples of projects CRS supports in Madagascar include the following: