Local Partner: Association Miarintsoa
Background and objective:
This is a project for sustainable and inclusive development and responds to the demand expressed by local communities to improve their living standards. The project will promote equity, reciprocity and solidarity among community members, including economic autonomy and participation. The project is initially developed in response to the requests expressed by women to benefit equally from the economic opportunities and technical and material support provided by projects operating in their localities. Rural women communities have in the recent past, increasingly freed themselves from the patriarchal system and are demanding to contribute to local development and self-empowerment. Local and traditional authorities, men and women of the villages will be sensitized on the concept of inclusive development.
It also includes the promotion of environmentally friendly agricultural techniques aimed at increasing food security and economic autonomy for the local population ; collaboration with the Basic Health Center to train women and young women on sexual health and reproductive rights to prevent early pregnancies; the establishment of hydro agricultural water points to irrigate the villagers’ crop fields, the strengthening of farmers’ associations and the restoration of 25 hectares of land and developed through the adoption of agricultural techniques resistant to climate change. In addition, the project promotes the diversification of agricultural activities development of market gardening, rice and fruit trees.
Local partner information:
Association Miarintsoa’s (AMI) has been active since 2000 in the social development sector in both urban and rural areas and has developed expertise in the preparation of local sectoral development plans, institutional support, community structuring, construction of public infrastructure particularly in the hydraulic sector, capacity building of communities. It is founded on various UNDRIP articles which have become their guiding principles for facilitating development in the Merina indigenous community. Their emphasis is on self-development, self-empowerment and inclusive development of indigenous communities. They are also keen on addressing human rights in indigenous communities and harmful cultural practices that prevent women from being active contributors of the communities’ aspirations and engaging in issues that affect them.
