Madagascar

With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Global Communities is leading a consortium of partners including Catholic Relief Services (CRS), FHI360 and Malagasy Mahomby to implement the first McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) project in Madagascar. This new five-year project, known as Mianatra (“Learn” in Malagasy), is implemented in close collaboration with the Government of Madagascar and local communities. Over the life of the project, Mianatra will provide 4,020 metric tons of U.S. donated commodities as well as funds to procure locally grown and purchased food to provide daily school meals to an estimated 64,177 preschool and primary school students in 130 schools in Southern Madagascar. Through the provision of daily, nutritious meals, Mianatra seeks to increase enrollment and attendance, particularly for girls, reduce short-term hunger and increase attentiveness.  

Mianatra will improve the quality of literacy instruction by distributing school supplies and teaching materials, establishing libraries, producing books and supplementary reading materials, and training teachers, school administrators and school management committees. To improve student attendance, Mianatra will provide daily, nutritious meals and increase economic incentives for parents and families through savings and lending groups. Mianatra will also improve health, nutrition and dietary practices and will increase access to clean water and improved sanitation services through the construction of latrines, hand-washing stations and water points. Mianatra will partner with the Government of Madagascar, schools and communities to develop pathways and a model for school feeding and complementary activities and support the expansion of Madagascar’s National School Feeding program.