Food Security Madagascar Project #54882

Recovery & Resilience

by SEED Madagascar

Project Report | Feb 18, 2025
Strengthening Resilience: Fighting Malnutrition & Empowering Beekeepers

By Samantha Grunow | Programmes and Office Assistant

Preparing Food for Positive Deviance Session

Across Madagascar, climate change and economic hardship continue to challenge livelihoods, food security, and sustainable development. Through the Recovery & Resilience Fund, SEED is addressing these issues head-on, ensuring communities have the resources and training they need to build long-term stability.

Project Miatrika is making a tangible impact in the fight against malnutrition. Over the past year, more than 60,000 children were screened, with 3,147 receiving life-saving treatment and an impressive 95.4% recovery rate. To strengthen long-term resilience, 272 community health workers have been trained in early malnutrition detection, while caregivers in 1,487 households are now equipped with MUAC strips to monitor their children’s health at home. In preparation for the lean season, 5,802 children received micronutrient supplements, protecting them against deficiencies that can hinder growth and development.

Meanwhile, Project Renitantely is expanding sustainable beekeeping as a reliable source of income. Since July 2024, beekeepers have harvested over 900 litres of honey, generating 6,000,000 MGA in sales. To improve financial security, 53 beekeepers and their families have completed financial literacy training, giving them the tools to manage and reinvest their earnings. The creation of eight beekeeping associations is improving market access and collective bargaining power, ensuring fair prices and stronger livelihoods. SEED is also supporting environmental sustainability by strengthening resource management, enhancing forage availability, and promoting natural pest control techniques.

Support from our donors is making a valuable difference—helping families fight malnutrition, empowering beekeepers, and ensuring communities can build a more stable, resilient future. Thank you for standing with us on this journey.

Vatambe Hive Bees

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Oct 24, 2024
Strengthening resilience through WASH and CSB

By Sharone Houssenaly | Programmes and Office Assistant

Madagascar faces challenges from climate change, economic hardship, and underfunded infrastructure. Healthcare expenditure is particularly low, representing just 1% of national spending in 2020. Rural health centres bear the brunt of this burden as spending is focused on urban areas, leaving remote communities deprioritised.

Some of these health facilities lack access to an improved water sources and hygienic latrines. Unsanitary Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) conditions in Basic Community Health Centres (CSBs) perpetuate the transmission of WASH-related diseases, which can be especially detrimental in medical environments where healthcare workers are in close contact with sick and injured patients. Children are disproportionately affected by these outcomes; 6% of the children die before age five, with WASH-related diseases accounting for 25% of these deaths.

SEED seeks to improve health resilience in these rural communities through WASH and CSB projects. The three health centres will serve over 16,000 people.

Through WASH and CSB project SEED aims to install, rainwater harvesting systems, a groundwater well, and gender-segregated latrines and hand washing systems. Access to clean water and improved sanitation in healthcare facilities will strengthen the community’s ability to recover from health challenges, ensuring healthier futures for women and children, who are the primary users of these clinics.

In addition to this, SEED plans to install solar panels for electrification of the clinics. Reliable lighting is critical for safe childbirth and emergency medical interventions at night. By reducing dependency on kerosene lamps, the project not only improves the safety of healthcare but also builds resilience by introducing sustainable energy solutions.

With your help, in the next several years SEED hopes to enhance the resilience of the Anosy populations by ensuring that communities are better equipped to recover from health crises and maintain long-term well-being.

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Jun 28, 2024
Empowering beekeepers in Anosy region

By Sharone Houssenaly | Programmes and Office Assistant

Madagascar continues to suffer from effects of climate change, rising prices due to COVID-19, and the country’s most severe drought in 40 years. In the southeast Anosy region, where over 98% of rural households depend on small-scale farming, animal husbandry, and fishing, recent failed harvests have severely impacted food security and income levels. This situation calls for the development of alternative, sustainable livelihood strategies. In response, SEED Madagascar launched Project Renitantely in 2016 to improve beekeeping as a sustainable livelihood, enhancing the financial and environmental resilience of communities in the Anosy region.

Project Renitantely has been effective in building resilient livelihoods for the community. In 2023, beekeepers produced and sold over 1,000 litres of honey and 67kg of wax, generating about £1,924. This income has allowed beekeepers to invest in solar panels and livestock for example. Formal contracts with international buyers and obtaining apiary identification codes have opened new market opportunities. Additionally, successful implementation of forage supplementation, apiary expansion, and natural pest management strategies have improved honey yields and the resilience of beekeeping enterprises. These achievements are crucial for ensuring long-term financial and environmental sustainability.

SEED Madagascar is now preparing for Phase II of Project Renitantely, starting in July 2024. This phase aims to expand the project to three new communities. The focus will be on improving financial resilience through comprehensive training in financial literacy and business skills, alongside enhancing market access.

With your help, in the next several years SEED hopes to continue this critical work, ultimately empowering 92 beekeepers to build sustainable livelihoods. SEED aims to support these beekeepers in increasing honey yields, improving market access, and ensuring financial resilience. We thank you for your support in this critical project, helping communities in Anosy to recover and build resilience for the future.

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