Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world that is not struggling with ongoing conflict. In fact, it has one of the highest poverty rates in the world, with 75% reaching above the national poverty line in 2022. While many factors have contributed to the issue of poverty, its impact has affected various aspects of life. Here are four facts that you didn’t know about poverty in Madagascar.

Education

Despite poverty levels in Madagascar. the country makes excellent efforts to ensure that a proper education is provided to all. School is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 14. The school year begins and ends in October. Primary school lasts five years, followed by a 4-year post-primary schooling system, with upper secondary school ending at age 18. However, according to statistics, almost 40% of girls of secondary school age are absent from school, compared to 37% of boys of the same age. The biggest disparity between those attending and those not attending is between rich children and poor children.

Health Care

The health care system in Madagascar fights to provide for the country’s growing population. About 60% of its citizens live within 5 kilometers of a health center. However, this can be an issue for those living in remote areas, as the centers are often in difficult-to-reach locations. Many people walk 5 to 10 kilometers to access the nearest health center.

In the ’70s, Madagascar launched its Primary Health Care Drive. This initiative provides health care to the inhabitants of the country through the help of health aides who travel on foot or bicycle, thereby making health care accessible to those who would otherwise not be able to access it.

Nature

Madagascar has suffered huge food shortages, bringing people to the brink of famine in a drought that has been the worst in over 40 years. In 2023, Tropical Cyclone Freddy dealt a severe blow to the eastern part of Madagascar and the population continues to endure the lingering effects. Madagascar’s National Policy to Combat Climate Change, launched in 2010, is doing everything to battle the losses and devastation the cyclone has caused.

Wildlife

Madagascar’s wildlife, particularly the lives of lemurs, have suffered significantly due to the impact of poverty. Although lemurs are considered sacred, the lack of food has led to increased hunting of the species. This, accompanied by dry forests and harsh living conditions, has made life very difficult for the animals.

Surveys show that hunting pressure has led to the threat of extinction of the largest living lemur. Initiatives like the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have carried out significant research on the consumption of lemurs and note the major threat that illegal hunting of wildlife species has caused those endangered species. A 2019 survey highlighted that 53% of 659 households had eaten lemur meat. It is revealed that while hunters are not seeking to break the laws that protect these animals, they are mostly people who have fallen to survival tactics to help feed the villagers.

Final Remark

Although Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, making poverty in Madagascar a large problem to tackle, it is making tangible efforts towards developing its health care system and educational sector and protecting its wildlife.

– Éadaoin O’Leary
Photo: Wikimedia Commons