Phase 3 - Madagascar

Women’s rights, Violence Against Women and Reproductive Rights

The Confédération des Associations Femmes et Développement in Madagascar conducted a sensitization campaign on birth registration in remote areas of the country, where the rate of non registered birth is estimated to reach 75%. The campaign consisted of the elaboration, production and distribution of seven posters (each in 100 copies) and the organization of gatherings. Achievements of the project included: commitment by mothers to register their children at birth (2200 new registrations were made during the following weeks of the project); increase in school attendance.

Children’s Rights

The Association pour l'Education, la Santé et l'Environnement in Madagascarimplemented raising-awareness activities on children's rights in eight schools in the area of Ambohidratimo. Activities included: presentation of a film addressing children’s rights and organization of debates; organization of an inter-school drawing competition and an exhibition presenting the drawings. The NGO produced and distributed materials in the Malagasy language (leaflets, posters, booklets), and organized large sensitization effort towards teachers. Approximately 2,000 teenagers and 40 teachers benefited from the project. The NGO hoped that the materials produced will serve, in the future, as permanent teaching tools. The NGO has already developed working relationships with local education authorities, through the organization of similar projects aiming at making teenagers aware of HIV/AIDS-related issues.

Human rights in the Administration of Justice

The Aumônerie catholique des prisons de Majunga, Madagascar established a library in a prison in order to teach illiterate prisoners to read, and to help social reinsertion of prisoners. The NGO purchased relevant materials, including books in French. The Alliance Française was involved in the choice of the books. The library is now open to prisoners, but also to prison officials. A specific system has also been established to enable prisoners who cannot leave their cells to hire books. It is to be underlined that all allocated grant has been spent for materials, the human resources being provided on a voluntary basis. It was stressed that the grant recipient developed constructive working relationship with Ministry of Justice during the implementation of the project.