Madagascar
OVERVIEW
A military coup took place in Madagascar during March 2009. As a result, the U.S.Government suspended all non-humanitarian assistance as well as direct assistance to the Government of Madagascar. The United States continues to foreign assistance in health and food security through non-governmental organizations, community associations, and other private groups.
USAID has been working for nearly 20 years to help the people of Madagascar accomplish their development goals inthe face of ongoing challenges. There have been impressive results in assisting people living in some of Madagascar’s poorest, most remote areas. However, these gains could be reversed due to the ongoing political crisis and declining economic conditions.
PROGRAMS
INVESTING IN PEOPLE: HEALTH
As the leading health donor in Madagascar, the U.S. Government has contributed substantially to improvements in a range of health indicators.USAID programs target rural, underserved, and vulnerable people throughout Madagascar. Emphasis is placed on promoting safe pregnancies and deliveries, effective malaria prevention and treatment,improved nutrition, prevention and management of common childhood illnesses, HIV prevention, access to family planning, and reduced incidence of disease arising from lack of safe water and sanitation.
Preliminary results of the 2008-09 demographic and health survey show a significant decrease in infant and child mortality over the last five years—from 92 child deaths per 1,000 live births to 72. Also much improved was the use of prenatal care and family planning, crucial to protecting lives of mothers and children. The percentage of women using family planning rose from 18 percent to 29 percent in just five years, partly due to USAID’s success in making quality information and services more widely available. To combat malaria, USAID distributed over a million long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets in 2009, and protected over 1.3 million people through indoor spraying. In water and sanitation,a new project will improve access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities for 300,000 people in communities in the south and southeast.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
In 2009, USAID began a five-year food aid program with the goal of helping 82,000 food insecure households raise agricultural productivity,improve income from farm production, and mobilize capital for households in need of credit. The program will serve households in 544 communities located in seven regions of Madagascar. Beneficiaries will include small-scale producers and households headed by women.Regions in southern Madagascar that are affected by severe, chronic drought are also being targeted.
The new program will build on the successes of the previous five-yearfood security program which assisted nearly 60,000 households, many of which survive on less than $200 a year. These households are now better able to cope with shocks, thanks to more diversified livelihoods,access to markets via improved roads, increased yields, protected watersheds, and improved water irrigation. This program was instrumental in increasing yields of staple crops such as rice which increased from 2.8 to 4.3 tons per hectare. At the same time, household incomes increased by an average of 8-10 percent.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Madagascar is prone to natural disasters including cyclones, floods, and drought. The significant loss of life and economic assets arising from these catastrophes each year greatly undermine investments in socialand economic development. Madagascar’s declining economy, as well as the effects of severe rains and flooding, have also affected households in major urban centers. The U.S. Government is helping households in 544 communities develop and implement plans aimed atmitigating the effects of disasters. Measures include interventions such as food-for-work programs that rehabilitate dikes and drainage systems or reforestation efforts to control soil erosion. Some communities will receive assistance to set up savings and loans to help mobilize capital needed to rebuild assets.
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