This project supports a total of six communities in the southwest of Madagascar on their way to sustainable access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities.
Hygiene practices in households, schools and health centers are also being improved. This leads to a significant improvement in people's health. Innovative approaches such as involving the private sector in the planning and construction of a functioning water system are used. The project is aimed at the entire population of six communities (around 60,000 people), who benefit from improved water management. About 20,000 people will now have access to a water connection in the immediate vicinity.
FILL ME AG financed the project via three years financed the planning and implementation of water supplies and sanitary facilities in seven schools in the Miandrivazo district with very generous donations of drinking water:
- In the schools Dabolava and Soanafindra in the municipality of Dabolava
• School EPP Central the municipality Ankilizato (EPP means Ecole primaire public)
- in the Andramanonga schools and Iharamy in the community Ambohimanambola
• School Antanimenabe the community Masindray
• School Ambalahonko of the school of the same name municipality Ambalahonko
The construction work was completed at the end of 2022 and the water supplies were handed over to the school principals in a festive ceremony. In total, around 1,215 schoolchildren and 39 teachers have access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities.
All water systems consist of a concrete water tank with a main water connection. Large hand basins with 6 taps each were installed on the school grounds - easily accessible for all schoolchildren and teachers. All 4 schools also received 6 latrines and one shower each. The work was put out to public tender before a local service provider was commissioned. In the long term, over the years 31,500 children have access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitary facilities
In addition to implementing the water supplies, activities to raise awareness of good hygiene practices among schoolchildren and teachers were carried out systematically. In small groups, schoolchildren were informed and trained about careful hand washing, the use of drinking water and other hygiene measures. They also used Helvetasalso used these training sessions to teach schoolchildren and teachers about protection against COVID-19. The government repeatedly took measures to protect the population and took Covid-19 very seriously.
Borders were closed until the beginning of November 2021. International flights were possible, but not frequent due to low demand. Tourism, an important economic sector, remained in decline. Schools were always open, with classes divided into smaller groups to reduce the risk of infection. All Covid-19 measures have been lifted since March 5, 2022.
The project team is seeing increasing economic and social consequences of the pandemic. The poverty rate (income below USD 1.9/day) has risen from 74 to 80 percent. The ongoing drought in the south of the country has further exacerbated the already difficult food situation. This makes it all the more important to be able to implement the project measures on site and thus give more schoolchildren access to clean drinking water. Because water means life: clean drinking water improves and protects health, gives children the opportunity to go to school permanently, strengthens the local economy and enables a better future.
