When two-year-old Gardi stopped playing with her toddler friends, Felana, her 21-year-old mother, realized that something was very wrong. Gardi seemed listless. She was weak and tired, unable to interact with other children as she normally would. Concerned, Felana immediately rushed her to the nearby community center in Antananarivo, Madagascar, established by Action Against Hunger.
Our health workers quickly found that Gardi needed malnutrition treatment and referred her to a nearby clinic supported by Action Against Hunger. The little girl was put on a regimen of Plumpy’Nut, a peanut-based, calorie-dense, therapeutic food used to treat malnourished children.
Within a few short weeks, Gardi began showing signs of improvement and weight gain. Today, Felana attends Action Against Hunger workshops to learn about how she can prevent malnutrition. Health workers pay regular visits to Felana and Gardi to check on their health and wellbeing.
Felana’s story is not uncommon. Throughout Madagascar, 9 out of 10 people live on less than $2 per day. In Antananarivo, the country’s capital, mothers like Felana live below the poverty line and struggle to feed their young children. Here, almost half of all children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition, also known as stunting. Widespread poverty, combined with the lack of access to hygiene and sanitation services, has caused illness in children across the city.
Many women in Madagascar, living below the poverty line, struggle to feed their families. Help us give mothers like Doriah the resources they deserve.
Action Against Hunger has been working in Antananarivo for more than a decade. We’ve established four nutrition centers that assess, diagnose, and treat young children. Last year, we launched the community center, called AKANY TAFA, that has provided a new kind of support for mothers like Felana—care that includes mental health support, emotional support for mothers, parenting classes, and family planning support.
“It’s a first door for local residents who don’t have access to health care, family planning, psychosocial services, administrative or legal assistance, or who are looking for a helping hand in their professional lives,” says Rodolphe Ulrich Feno, one of the psychosocial workers assigned to Felana’s case.
The center, which specializes in support for women and children, is a safe place for some of the most vulnerable families in Antananarivo. It provides free services to hundreds of people a month. Action Against Hunger, together with eight other partners, manages AKANY TAFA.
“There was a workshop on how to bathe your child and also how to play with them,” says Felana. “These workshops allowed me to learn the best ways to care for Gardi and increase her weight.”
Many mothers like Felana who live below the poverty line find it hard to maintain basic hygiene for themselves and their families. Oftentimes, they lack basic resources like toiletries, soap, or water. Other times, mental health concerns and trauma can make everyday tasks and emotionally connecting with children difficult.
Group workshops can help women address and overcome the challenges they face without judgment or shame. The community center provides a variety of classes, where women learn about hygiene, menstrual health, nutrition, and more in a non-judgmental environment.
“There’s a real bond of trust that we develop with the families,” says Andrianiry Fihariantsoa, a community mobilizer at the center. “Some of them confide in us that they prefer to come to AKANY TAFA rather than to the town’s basic health centers, because they know that here they are welcome and won’t be judged.”
The center employs psychosocial workers, health workers, and supportive employees of many kinds. One midwife named Aurore, who has worked in the family planning sector for 15 years, now provides services at AKANY TAFA. One of the most important parts of her job is forming connections with the women she meets and helping them to learn about and access family planning.
“Many women [I meet] choose long-term contraception because they don’t want to have any more children, so they can have a good job and support their family,” she says. “The situation is really alarming for these young women, most of whom don’t have enough to eat and prefer to deprive themselves to feed their children.”
In addition to the community center, Action Against Hunger supports families in Antananarivo at four nutrition centers. These sites are run by the Ministry of Health and managed by local town councils. Action Against Hunger trained community health workers to provide families with advice, treatment, and support. They host workshops, including malnutrition screening and cooking demonstrations, to promote healthy practices and children’s development.
“When I was pregnant with my first child, I was suffering from malnutrition,” says Faniry, now a community health worker. “I went to the Action Against Hunger Center and received treatment. Then, I took part in training, which interested me, and I decided to take on this job as a community worker.”
Faniry loves her job because she can provide her community with advice and guidance.
As poverty rates continue to rise throughout the capital, mothers seek support.
“In Madagascar, and Antananarivo in particular, poverty is the fundamental cause of chronic malnutrition,” says Annick Rakotoanosy, Action Against Hunger’s program coordinator in Antananarivo. “Malnutrition causes stunted growth and has a considerable impact on children’s health and intellectual development.”
Crises in Madagascar’s South, including a recent severe drought, has inspired many donors to support emergency responses. These funds are essential to supporting Madagascar’s rural areas, but this focus on emergencies means that the country’s urban areas are often ignored or overlooked. Vulnerable families in Antananarivo deserve attention and compassion, too – something that Action Against Hunger works to provide each day throughout the city.
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 56 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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