Madagascar > Country Background and Current Challenges
Madagascar’s population is one of the poorest in the world, with over 70 percent living below the poverty level. Access to clean water and sanitation is absent for the great majority of its people. For instance, in the rural areas, only 16 percent of the population have access to clean water.
In addition, Madagascar is regularly hit by devastating cyclones. This combination of factors has a disastrous effect on both the health and the economic status of the population, slowing down the development process and leading to increased vulnerability, especially among the poorest residents.
When cyclones strike Madagascar, strong winds and heavy rains destroy buildings, bridges, and crops. Villagers are forced to live in one or more metres of water for weeks at a time. Water points are also contaminated in the massive floods that follow. Medair focuses its response on this last element. In a country where cholera outbreaks have happened in the past, access to clean water is a priority–especially after a disaster, when the population is already weak.
In Maroantsetra District, some agencies actively protect the environment and biodiversity of the area, but no one else is working to improve access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene awareness for the population. That is why Medair targeted this region, where the needs are so great and the risk of cyclone destruction so present.