Madagascar > Activities by Sectors
Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH)
The lack of access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure, combined with the absence of knowledge about basic hygiene, creates a disastrous situation in a poor country like Madagascar. These problems are severely aggravated by the contamination of clean water points whenever cyclones hit the island. Furthermore, only 10 percent of the rural population use improved sanitation facilities [2].
Millions of work and school days are lost every year due to water-borne diseases. Cholera outbreaks are a risk after every cyclone.
Emergency Relief
During the cyclone season, Medair helps to re-establish access to clean water by disinfecting open wells; distributing emergency water kits; ensuring hygiene education; and promoting long-lasting vulnerability reduction through the construction of new water points and strong capacity building within the community and local authorities.
In emergencies, Medair has the capacity to respond without delay. This capacity includes a complete stock of emergency materials, skilled staff, and key partnerships, notably with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and Helimission.
Rehabilitation
Access to clean water for a community
Medair improves access to safe water, latrines, and hygiene promotion in cyclone-prone areas. We have introduced very inexpensive and simple drilling techniques to the remote villages of the region. For instance, by using the rota-sludge technique, a water point can be drilled in a day or two, without requiring an engine. Moreover, by using a Canzee hand pump, the water point becomes sealed and safe from contamination. We also build elevated water points to ensure access to clean water in case of flooding.
Medair supports public-private partnerships and the development of appropriate technologies for the WASH sector. In this way, effective tools are placed in the hands of local government and private businesses, allowing them to improve the WASH sector in these areas independently from international NGOs.
The hygiene promotion team focuses on ensuring that people understand the risks of contamination around wells, water points, and latrines, so that the new infrastructures will bring lasting benefits to the health of the population.
There is an overall emphasis on capacity building to ensure that Medair is working with the communities, not just for the communities, so that improvements will be longer-lasting and sustainable.
Shelter & Infrastructure
When populations are temporarily displaced from their homes due to flooding or cyclone damage, they require shelter and support. But cyclone-prone villages also need to develop DRR strategies to help mitigate the damage from future cyclones. They need to construct their homes more sturdily and build cyclone shelters as a refuge for the most vulnerable.
Emergency Relief
Medair provides plastic sheeting for temporary roofs, and construction materials for people in need. We also distribute essential NFI (non-food items) such as WASH kits (comprised of water purification bottles, buckets, jerry cans, soap, and cups).
Rehabilitation
Medair’s DRR activities include supporting the formation of village DRR committees, running cyclone simulations in villages, building large cyclone shelters, and helping to reinforce homes to make them more resistant to cyclones.
Disaster preparedness and mitigation activities consist of longer term work to increase community resilience and decrease community vulnerability, linking preparedness, mitigation, development, and emergency interventions in order to reinforce local capacities and to improve the existing infrastructures.
[2] WHO: www.who.int/whosis/whostat/EN_WHS2011_Full.pdf
