On the island of Madagascar, only 10 percent of the population utilizes proper sanitation. Fortunately, a number of humanitarian organizations are restoring hope for millions by providing improved services to underprivileged communities. Keep reading to learn more about the top eight facts about sanitation in Madagascar.

8 Facts About Sanitation in Madagascar

1. UNICEF determined that to boost effectiveness, the best approach to providing sanitation is inter-sectoral solutions. This means that each community takes the solutions into its own hands. Communities are encouraged to build latrines in public places and use water from a centralized water kiosk. Water systems such as pumps and boreholes are some of the instruments that individual communities constructed. Such water equipment has provided 570,000 people in Madagascar with safe drinking water. In addition, 2.5 million people now have access to proper toilets, significantly reducing the rate of open defecation in the country.
2. Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is a group that works to improve sanitation. Through a consistent effort to form strong partnerships with the national government and national water utility, WSUP was able to make a significant change. WSUP reports that 1.16 million people now have improved access to water, 1.35 million people have better access to sanitation and 2.83 million people received hygiene training.
3. In 2018, WSUP started the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) with support from the Coca-Cola Foundation and USAID. The WADA project focuses on constructing sufficient facilities and institutions to deliver and administer sanitation services and water adequately. So far, the initiative has raised $5.3 million and counting.
4. charity: water has worked in Madagascar since 2017, funding large, piped systems in the Menebe and Analamanga regions. To date, the group has improved clean water access for 104,598 people in Madagascar.
5. In 2018, one-third of schools in Madagascar did not have working toilets. UNICEF is working to install toilets in a number of schools, with separate facilities for girls and boys. This is critical to ensure that more girls stay in school when they are menstruating. The organization has also built water points at schools, promoting clean handwashing among students.
6. WaterAid reports that more than 8,000 children die from diarrhea annually due to unsafe water. Along with these losses, 1.8 million Malagasy children face stunted growth due to a lack of necessary nutrients in the drinking water.
7. USAID reports that 58 percent of Madagascar inhabitants lack immediate access to potable water. Meanwhile, 50 percent of all Malagasy families survive with inadequate sanitation facilities.
8. WAGGGS provided a group of 25 girls in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the opportunity to attend an advocacy workshop. After attending the workshop, the women are now better equipped to improve their communities and advocate their learned skills to others throughout the area. With this valuable information, these women can teach others and help provide access to proper sanitation.

These eight facts about sanitation in Madagascar highlight the need for improved access to clean water as well as toilet facilities to improve the well-being of citizens across the country. However, with help from the international community and aid organizations, progress is on the horizon.

– Cleveland Lewis III
Photo: Wikimedia Commons