Context

Madagascar is an insular state located close to the East Coast of Mozambique. It’s the fifth largest island of the world. The rate of access to drinking water is among the lowest in the world : only 54% of the population has basic access to safe drinking water. 

Location

Antsirabe is a city in the Highlands of Madagascar, capital of the Vakinankaratra region, in the center of the island. It is the third largest city in the country 170 kilometers south of Antananarivo. The heart of the city is connected to the public drinking water network, but not the fokontany. These very precarious peri-urban neighbouhoods are characterized by a lack of drinking water points and by permanent insalubrity causing sometimes fatal diseases (cholera, dengue fever, diarrhoea). 

Partner

Founded in 2006, the Malagasy association Taratry Ny Ankizy contributes to the fight against precariousness, poverty and exclusion. It allows children to have access to school and improvesthe standard of living of families through micro-projets. Legitimate and recognized by the inhabitants, she knows the local context very well. The association Agir Ensemble and Taratry Ny Ankizy have been working together since 2016 on the territory of Antsirabe. 

Beneficiaries :

The direct beneficiaries of the action are the pupils of the villages of Antsirabe. The installation of the SAFE WATER CUBE fountains will allow to generate drinking water for the village families. 

Implementation :

Since 2016, some thirty fountains have been installed in elementary schools and health centers of Antsirabe. Managed autonomously by two or three local officials, they guarantee a drinking water supply to thousands of schoolchildren and their families. The fountains are installed in schools and are fed through present wells and boreholes. Each child in school gives the right to twenty liters of drinking water per day to his family, who pays 0.50 € (fifty euro cents) per month.

Expected results :

• Improved health due to drinking water;
• Reduced school absenteeism due to water-related illness;
• Creation of 10 jobs for fountain managers.