Madagascar
ADRA Madagascar
Serving the local population since 1992
As a cyclone-prone island, Madagascar often requires immediate response. But as a poor nation, it also requires long-term development in infrastructure, as well as the health, livelihood, and education of its people. ADRA Madagascar has specialized accordingly, implementing projects in food security, economic development, and health, in addition to emergency response.
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Voahary’s Story
Madagascar
Voahary’s Story
Madagascar
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Voahary’s Story
Voahary is 15 and is a growing boy in the outskirts of Antananarivo in Madagascar. He sits restlessly in his seat at school, but today he’s lucky. His distraction these days is brought on by his desire to get outside and play, but it wasn’t that long ago that his lack of concentration came from hunger.
A rumbling tummy while in class is much more than a distraction for a child like Voahary, whose family is too poor to provide him with breakfast or lunch. When kids go hungry, they aren’t able to concentrate and lack the energy to keep up and get the education they deserve.
ADRA has begun school lunch programs in Madagascar, feeding 1,115 children during the school year with more than 20,000 meal packages.
Impoverished families often have to choose either food or education because they don’t have enough to provide resources for both. Schools in the area where Voahary lives had seen enrollment decrease dramatically in recent years. In less than five years, Voahary’s school went from more than 900 students down to 380 students.
ADRA supports education through several projects, including school feeding programs. These programs improve students’ learning and motivate parents to keep their children in school. ADRA distributes meal packages to six primary schools and one orphanage in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
In total, 20,050 meal packages have been distributed, providing lunches for 1,115 students. Each package contains a complete meal of rice, dehydrated vegetables, soy protein, and a seasoning packet fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Voahary’s father is a street sweeper, and his mother is a laundry maid—neither brings in much income, and they depend on their children for household chores and fetching water. So before ADRA’s program began, Voahary was using a lot of energy but not eating enough to keep up with it.
Regular lunches have transformed Voahary into an active student with big dreams. He hopes to become a physician one day so that he can help others stay healthy.
Additional Information
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Capacity Statement Overview
The Strengthening and Accessing Livelihoods Opportunities for Household Impact (SALOHI) is a food security program operating in 21 districts in southern and eastern Madagascar. These districts encompass approximately 492,500 beneficiaries in 120 rural communities. These zones have been selected based on nutritional data, poverty indicators, and susceptibility to natural disasters, ensuring that those most vulnerable receive the help necessary to survive. Along with USAID and CARE, ADRA Madagascar fosters health and nutrition, farm productivity, and empowerment through SALOHI.
Our website further highlights the projects, programs, and people of ADRA Madagascar. -
Country Overview
Madagascar is blighted by countless socioeconomic challenges: high infant and maternal mortality, under-5 mortality, restricted access to health care, child malnutrition, and food and water insecurity. Additionally, the island nation is vulnerable to tropical cyclones, torrential rains, and destructive floods, which regularly render many people homeless.