Humanity & Inclusion has worked in Madagascar for more than thirty years. Our teams have successfully developed an inclusive and solidarity education program which ensures the most vulnerable students, including children with disabilities, are enrolled in school. In 2019, 1,349 girls and boys with disabilities, vulnerable children, and students at risk of exclusion or dropout returned to school in the regions of Boeny, in the west of the island, and Diana, in the north.
Our teams are now working to better protect students and teachers from the spread of COVID-19 in Madagascar. As part of a consortium[1], the organization has launched a project to supply 21 schools with disinfection and protection equipment and products and is now actively supporting the Malagasy education system to help communities cope with the spread of COVID-19. Since May, the Malagasy authorities have organized workshops on the COVID-19 protocol with school staff to ensure personal protection measures are implemented.
We launched our activities in the north of the island in schools in the Betsbiboka and Boeny region. Together with local authority officials[2], Humanity & Inclusion has trained officers to disinfect beneficiary schools.
In total, 56 people have been trained to disinfect school premises in 21 schools in the communes of Ambatoboeny, Berivotra, and Maevatanana.
Donation of equipment to the project's target schools
Every classroom in each school will be supplied with hand-washing kits containing a bucket with a tap, soap, and informational posters on personal protection measures.
These schools will also be supplied with school-cleaner kits containing disinfectants and protective equipment. The kit can be used to disinfect all classrooms for up to 50 days.
Informing the community
COVID-19 awareness announcements are also being broadcast on the local station Varatraza to help inform the community of these measures.[3]
Focus on the most vulnerable
As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.
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[1] Humanity & Inclusion is leading the MIARO project, funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, in consortium with CARE International.
[2] The trainers are representatives of the Regional Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene divisions.
[3] The Regional OCC (Operational Command Center coordinating the fight against the COVID-19), with support from Humanity & Inclusion.