|
Who is Medair assisting?
In the beginning of 2006, Medair opened a new base in the Maroantsetra region of northeast Madagascar, an area that is especially vulnerable to cyclones and floods. The situation there is very precarious. Despite having almost 200,000 inhabitants, the whole district has only 575 wells or water points. Most of the population relies on contaminated river water. Even the families using open wells are not safe, because most of the wells are contaminated by faecal matters, due to inappropriate usage and poor construction. Only the 204 sealed wells constructed by Medair during the immediate post-cyclone response of 2004-2005 ensure access to clean water.
What has the Medair team achieved since the beginning of the year?
In February 2006, Medair trained a new team in Maroantsetra, and established four separate departments: capacity building, hygiene promotion, water and sanitation construction, and administration. The Maroantsetra team now has 14 nationally-recruited members and 3 internationally-recruited members.
The water and sanitation team is working to introduce 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 established in a day or two, without requiring an engine. Moreover, by using a Canzee manual pump, the water point becomes safe from contamination, and maintenance can be ensured at the village level.
But the right technologies are not enough. The capacity building team works to ensure that Medair is working with the communities, not just for the communities, so that improvements will be long-lasting and sustainable. 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
Any recent news from the project area?
Three workshops have been conducted, one at the district level and two at the community level. The two communities where Medair will work have been selected by the beneficiaries. Discussions are still ongoing between the local authorities, Medair, and the communities about how responsibilities will be shared for the different activities of the project. Many studies have been conducted on current hygiene behaviour, even in the most remote villages. Several demonstration water points have also been established, as part of the training of the water and sanitation team.
Who is responding to the needs?
While some agencies actively protect the environment and biodiversity of the area, no one is working to improve access to clean water and sanitation for the population. That is why Medair targeted this region, where the needs are so great and the risk of cyclone destruction so present.
What will Medair do next in Madagascar?
Medair’s work for 2006 is the pilot phase of a larger project, in collaboration with other NGOs. The goal is to build on this experience to enable more and more people to be served. During the coming months, cyclone response training will be held with the villagers and with local authorities. New tools will be tested, including methods of hygiene promotion in times of emergency response, and access to clean water in post-cyclone situations. More than 100 cyclone-proof water points and latrines will be established, emergency tools will be improved, and the population and local authorities will be better trained before the next cyclone season hits.
What is the core problem that Medair intends to address?
The core problems are the lack of access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure, and the absence of knowledge about basic hygiene. These problems are disastrous in a poor country like Madagascar: millions of working and schools days are lost every year due to water-related disease; according to a recent health survey, diarrhoea is the country’s second-ranking cause of child death, behind malaria and ahead of acute respiratory infections. and cholera outbreaks are a risk after every cyclone.
How does Medair intend to address this problem?
To improve this difficult situation, Medair has developed an integrated approach to the water and sanitation problem. Firstly, an emergency preparedness capacity has been developed to respond without delay to any crisis. This capacity includes a complete stock of emergency materials, skilled staffs, and key partnerships, notably with MAF and Helimission. Secondly, a strong component of Medair’s intervention is to reduce the vulnerability of the population by providing improved access to safe water, latrines, hygiene promotion, and preparatory work in cyclone-prone areas. Finally, Medair supports public-private partnerships and the development of appropriate technologies for the water and sanitation sector. In this way, inexpensive and effective tools are placed in the hands of local government and private businesses, allowing them to improve the water and sanitation sector independently from international NGOs.
Describe the programme.
The Madagascar programme consists of four points:
- Develop and improve the emergency cyclone response, and re-establish access to clean water after a natural disaster, anywhere on the island and without delay;
- Reduce the vulnerability of the population, by improving access to clean water and sanitation in the cyclone-prone area of Maroantsetra;
- Support a network of public-private partnerships that will improve access to clean water, by training local governments and businesses in the usage of appropriate, cheap, and effective technologies;
- Share Medair’s experience and training with the national NGOs working in the field
|
