Regenerating Rainforests in Madagascar

Following community guidance, Health In Harmony continues to conduct a robust health program that reaches patients in all 31 communities through a mobile clinic system. Since the start of the year, a new mobile clinic site has been finished in Marovandrika, a location selected by community members based on its population and accessibility to other communities. Additional mobile clinic sites remain under construction. HIH has launched a new Health Guardian program that employs community members to support basic healthcare services to communities, offer health education, and serve as a link to HIH health initiatives. Thus far, Health Guardians have conducted a vaccine census for all villages, screened children in all 31 villages for severe acute malnutrition, conducted a bed net survey, and conducted a Mass Drug Administration, providing  2,707 children with Albendazole and 2,856 children with Vitamin A. Health Guardians also facilitate Radical Listening for an emerging WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) program to increase hygiene and alleviate water-borne disease. Led by village Kings, HIH is supporting the introduction of latrines to communities. HIH is also working with Tatarino to develop rainwater farming in 62 households. In January 2023, HIH Madagascar signed an MOU with Marie Stopes Madagascar to offer a discount on family planning medicine. This partnership will greatly enhance women’s healthcare services provided by HIH Madagascar. To further improve women’s healthcare, HIH Madagascar conducted a week-long training for 56 local medical practitioners to learn to screen women for cervical cancer, the leading cause of female cancer in Madagascar. All attendees of the February training now have supplies to screen at their respective facilities, and HIH has a cryotherapy machine that is accessible to all women who need it.

Links:

• Health In Harmony Madagascar covered in ProPublica