Food Security Madagascar Project #54882

Recovery & Resilience

by SEED Madagascar

Project Report | Jul 21, 2022
The Impact of Family Planning Services

By Nancy Priede | Programmes and Office Assistant

A mother brings her child to the health centre

In the commune of Ankariera, SEED met Mbola, a father of six, with a seventh child on the way. Mbola’s 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with moderate acute malnutrition and treated through SEED’s Emergency Food Distribution Project. During treatment, Mbola learned about the family planning services supported by Recovery & Resilience. Mbola, who has seen the stress that multiple births in quick succession have put on his wife and family, has become an advocate for family planning- a vital instrument that enables women and girls to make informed decisions about if and when to have children.

Through SEED’s Emergency Food Distribution Programme, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and local health centres, SEED has promoted healthy relationships between health centres and the communities they serve, while building the capacity of 190 health workers to provide accurate information. These workers are conducting home visits with families like Mbola’s to increase awareness of, and access to, family planning services in a culture where family planning is uncommon.

Upon making use of the family planning services, Mbola and his wife have gained a better understanding of the services offered by their community health centre and have decided to use contraception for the first time following the birth of their seventh child. “I have made significant progress in my life, which is in stark contrast to our culture, but I had to decide to take care of my wife and children because I love them, and I will bring my family to go to the community health centre to have better health services.” states Mbola. Upon the completion of Round III in the North, health workers have officially referred over 2,300 women and girls to access family planning! Although, we are not done there.

Looking forward, the Food Distribution Programme is placing an increased focus on addressing the root causes of hunger and promoting community resilience through health resource capacity building, enabling families to make decisions just like Mbola’s long after the program implementation.

Mbola and one of his daughters

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Mar 22, 2022
Response, Recovery and Resilience

By Adi Soni | Programmes & Office Assistant

Currently implementing Round III of the Emergency Food Distribution Programme, SEED is looking to build on this emergency response to support the recovery and longer-term resilience of these food insecure communities by improving their health, nutrition, and livelihoods, enabling them to cope with additional shocks and stresses in the future.

SEED has responded to the ongoing food crisis by training two community health workers per village to identify, treat, and monitor the recovery of children with acute malnutrition. Those diagnosed are promptly given ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), and their families are supported with unprepared food rations. So far, two rounds of food distribution have been completed supporting 921 children and resulted in a 100% recovery rate for those previously malnourished in Round II. A further 769 malnourished children have been enrolled in Round III.

To contribute to the longer-term recovery, SEED provides education sessions around nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Using community health centres to distribute information and the rations increases the public trust in their local health centres, promoting long-termer behaviour change of communities. Empowering communities withknowledge on nutrition and WASH practices contributes to sustainably improving the health and livelihoods forbeneficiaries even after the programme has finished.

For example, at seven months old, Fitahia was diagnosed as malnourished by SEED’s community health workers, so Fitahia was enrolled in Round III of SEED’s Emergency Food Distribution Programme. Every 15 days, her grandmother took Fitahia to the health centre for RUTF rations to help treat her malnutrition. Thankfully, after 60 days, Fitahia made a full recovery. During these visits, her grandmother also received nutrition education lessons, which she applies to everyday cooking and eating to ensure Fitahia doesn’t become malnourished again.

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