The following information has been borrowed from the Peace Corps Congressional Budget Justification Fiscal Year 2006.

Madagascar Profile

Capital ............................................................Antananarivo
Population ...........................................................16 million
Annual per capita income ...........................................$230
GDP growth ..............................................................-12.7%
Adult illiteracy rate ............................................Male:26.4%
Female:40.3%
Infant mortality rate .........................84 per 1,000 live births
Immunization rate ..................................................DPT:62%
Measles:61%
Foreign direct investment .....................................$8 million
Access to safe water ...........................................Urban:85%
Rural:31%
HIV/AIDS prevalence ...................................................0.3%
Religions..............................................Indigenous beliefs:47%
Christianity:45%
Islam:7%
Official language .......................................................Malagasy


The government of President Marc Ravalomanana, backed by its international partners, has embarked on economic recovery and poverty reduction and is committed to fighting environmental degradation, poor health, and the HIV/AIDS scourge.

Numerous international development agencies and volunteer organizations have been welcomed to Madagascar, joining the growing number of Malagasy nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), to work with the people of Madagascar on their development efforts. Madagascar is ranked 150 of 177 countries on the 2004 United Nations Human Development Index.

The economy of Madagascar is dominated by agriculture, which employs four-fifths of the population. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, contribute 25 percent of GDP; industry, 12 percent; and services, 63 percent. Major exports, including coffee, vanilla, cloves, shellfish, and sugar, were estimated at $700 million in 2002. Madagascar ’s natural resources are severely threatened by deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel, which negatively impact the economy and people. A great need continues for teachers, health specialists, and environmental counselors, particularly in rural areas.

Peace Corps Program

The first education Volunteers arrived in late 1993. In subsequent years, the Peace Corps initiated programs in ecological conservation and community health education.

Today, Volunteers work in the education, environment, and health and HIV/AIDS sectors. Some Volunteers concentrate on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases; others teach English and train teachers. Volunteers also work with communities and national parks to find ways to balance human needs with environmental conservation. All Volunteers, regardless of sector, are trained in how to promote HIV/AIDS awareness.

Peace Corps Volunteers

Education

Volunteers are posted in rural communities and work with students, teachers, and the larger community to raise the standard of teaching, to develop teaching resources, and to strengthen the links between schools and communities. Middle and high school students are taught English through both traditional classroom lessons and nontraditional methods such as songs, drawing, poetry, and drama. Volunteers transfer teaching skills to Malagasy English teachers to increase their capacity to plan lessons and create classroom resources. Volunteers and their counterparts use English as a vehicle to promote community programs such as girls ’ camps, HIV/AIDS prevention, and tree plantings.

Environment
Working with the government, NGOs, and local communities, Volunteers provide training for managers of protected areas, community members, and groups to improve their skills in environmental conservation, natural resource management, and sustainable agroforestry and agriculture. More than 300 communities have learned about environmental conservation through theater projects, videos, and workshops. Volunteers have helped establish 45 tree nurseries, plant more than 2,500 trees, and build over 300 wood-saving mud stoves in 65 villages.

Health and HIV/AIDS
The community health project helps communities address health issues through behavioral change methodologies and by effectively disseminating health messages. Volunteers concentrate on prevention of the main life-threatening childhood illnesses; help mothers understand basic maternal health issues, such as how to ensure safe pregnancies; and provide the general population with information about preventing HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Through their outreach programs, Volunteers disseminate vital health information to more than 400 communities each year. Volunteers from all sectors collaborate on projects that teach HIV/AIDS awareness. One Volunteer realized that illiterate dock workers and local rickshaw operators were unable to understand the health messages in traditional AIDS awareness campaigns, though this population was clearly at risk. The Volunteer mobilized local resources and organized a person-to-person peer education campaign that has enabled these people to finally understand the risks and solutions.