Food Security Madagascar Project #54882

Recovery & Resilience

by SEED Madagascar

Project Report | Oct 15, 2026
A New Phase for Project Miatrika

By Sydney Usselmann | Programms & Office Intern

Model Mother playing with children

With the current phase of Project Miatrika ending this year, SEED is preparing for the next stage: Project Miatrika II, Resilience. This new phase will take place from January to December 2027 in 21 villages in the Taolagnaro district of the Anosy region, supported by the health centres in Ankariera, Analapatsy, and Ankilimihatra. The main goal is to reduce and prevent acute malnutrition in children aged 6 to 59 months.

The biggest change will be in how SEED works. Project Miatrika began as an emergency response, focused on large-scale distribution of supplementary food. The next phase will focus more on prevention, community-led recovery, and building stronger connections between families and the health system. SEED wants children to be identified earlier, treated within their own communities, and less likely to become malnourished again.

Early detection is still the first step. In 14 villages, community health workers will hold screening campaigns three times a year, reaching about 2,040 children each time. In the other seven villages, SEED will pilot monthly screenings at local treatment sites, along with awareness campaigns and follow-up for families who might miss them. SEED expects to find about 860 children with moderate acute malnutrition each year, although this number may change depending on food security. Children with severe acute malnutrition will be referred to outpatient treatment, and those with medical complications will be taken to the regional specialist facility. SEED will help with transport, food, and medication so families are not held back by these costs.

Positive Deviance will be the main way children recover. This approach will identify Model Mothers, whose children are healthy despite facing the same challenges as others, and use their daily habits to teach other caregivers. If a village has at least eight children with moderate acute malnutrition, their caregivers will join a 12-day care group led by trained Model Mothers, followed by three months of home visits. In the current phase, 87% of children in these care groups recovered after 12 days. If there are not enough children for a group, they will go to the local treatment site instead, with extra home visits for those who need more help.

In addition to treatment, community health workers will hold nutrition sessions every two months for about 1,890 caregivers. These sessions will cover feeding young children, food hygiene, and when to seek health care. They will also hold cooking demonstrations using local foods, and participants will learn how to measure their children’s arm circumference to spot malnutrition early. SEED will also strengthen referral links among families, health workers, and treatment sites, and will continue attending monthly regional nutrition meetings.

Before the new phase begins, a few months remain in the current one. SEED is finishing the eighth round of treatment for 1,311 children with moderate acute malnutrition, giving food parcels to 984 families in the hardest-hit areas, and providing a second round of deworming tablets to 6,825 children in November.

Thank you for helping make this work possible.

Model Mother learning how to measure her child

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Jun 18, 2026
Weaving Success: Progress Towards an Independent Cooperative

By Ellen Manwaring | Programmes and Office Assistant

Project Mahampy, visit from TananaLab

Communities in southeast Madagascar are facing increasing challenges from climate change and shifting aid landscapes, placing livelihoods at risk. Through the Recovery & Resilience Fund, SEED is helping communities build long-term resilience by strengthening food security, promoting environmental sustainability, and developing practical skills for the future.

One of the projects the Recovery & Resilience Fund supports is Project Mahampy, which has continued to make significant progress in supporting the women of Sainte Luce to build a stronger, more independent weaving cooperative. As the project enters its third phase, the focus has shifted toward strengthening governance, financial management, and business skills, helping the cooperative develop the tools needed for long-term sustainability.

A recent major achievement has been the creation and ratification of a new cooperative constitution. Developed through a series of consultation and co-design sessions attended by nearly all members, the constitution reflects the cooperative's collective priorities. It establishes clear structures for leadership, membership, accountability, and financial management. Following its adoption, elections were held for all leadership positions, resulting in a fully elected management team ready to guide the cooperative into its next stage of development.

Alongside these governance improvements, cooperative members participated in refresher training sessions focused on departmental roles and responsibilities. These sessions helped identify knowledge gaps and strengthen understanding of key operational processes, supporting the smooth running of the cooperative as it becomes increasingly self-managed.

Financial resilience has also remained a priority. The cooperative's Education Savings Scheme continues to support members in setting aside funds for their children's school fees, while progress has been made toward establishing a dedicated bank account that will improve transparency, security, and long-term financial management.

An exciting milestone was the first visit from project partner TananaLab, whose assessment of the cooperative will help shape future business training and strengthen access to wider markets. This partnership will play a key role in reducing reliance on local tourism sales and creating new opportunities for income generation.

With business training, market diversification activities, and a gradual transition toward full independence still ahead, Project Mahampy continues to empower women with the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to strengthen their livelihoods and create lasting change for their families and community.

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Feb 24, 2026
Growing Resilience: Agroforestry in Action

By Cassie Senn | Programmes and Office Assistant

Training Session Delivered to Tsagnoriha Community

Communities in southeast Madagascar are facing growing pressure from climate change, extreme weather events, and fluctuating aid, all of which threaten livelihoods and nutrition. Through the Recovery & Resilience Fund, SEED is helping to lay the foundation for long-term resilience by strengthening food security, environmental sustainability, and building skills.

In March 2025, the agroforestry pilot project was launched next to Tsagnoriha Primary School. Agroforestry offers a sustainable approach, combining the benefits of both agriculture and forestry, and has proven effective in restoring degraded soils and improving water retention. With approximately 3,000 m², the site aims to strengthen food security by ensuring a consistent, year-round harvest that supports schoolchildren’s nutrition and builds resilience to climate change.

To date, a total of 615 kg of vegetables have been harvested, providing over 1,501 servings of vegetables; a huge success and testament to the dedication and efforts of the community planting leads, teachers, students and community members involved in the project.

Additionally, the project aims to promote resilient and sustainable farming practices within the Tsagnoriha community, with a training session having been delivered to 10 community farmers on soil preparation and organic fertilisation. An environmental education session was also delivered to strengthen students’ understanding of environmental protection and sustainable practices.

An extension of the ongoing Agroforestry Pilot is planned and will be established at two SEED-built school sites in close collaboration with the communities involved. The extension will involve the planting of 600 trees alongside 15,840 diverse crops. Harvests from these sites will provide 53,000 portions of vegetables to the schoolchildren. Additionally, SEED will plant 1,300 Moringa oleifera (Moringa) trees on community-owned land to offset carbon emissions from the construction of four new schools, plus an additional 1,300 community-selected trees for local resource use.

This has all been possible thanks to your support. We are deeply appreciative of your generosity and thank you for being part of this journey, helping communities in southeast Madagascar to build resilience to climate change and food insecurity, improving nutrition for schoolchildren.

Vegetable Harvest in Tsagnoriha

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