The worth of water

WaterAid has projects in four of Madagascar's six provinces, in both rural and urban areas.

Credit: Alixandra Fenton

WaterAid's Global Advocacy Meeting, held in Madagascar last December, included a trip to Ambolotara village in the central highlands. There we talked to Ramanandraisoa, hygiene promoter and mother of eight.

Ramanandraisoa told us how village life has changed since WaterAid's partners SAF/FJKM finished helping the community install their water supply in March 2003.

"Everything has changed here. Everything," says Ramanandraisoa, "We no longer need to go and search for water and the health of the children has changed. There is hardly any diarrhoea now. Before, there was lots of disease. And now I no longer have backache through going to collect water."

"We live better than before. We can all use water the way we need to - my children and I take showers when we like and do the housework well. We also have more time to grow vegetables like potatoes, beans and manioc."

Ramanandraisoa then went on to explain a little about the logistics of bringing safe water to the village: "When we were working to get a well in the village the women helped in the decisions and the planning. I was trained as a hygiene promoter: a doctor came to the area to help.

"Each village formed a sanitation committee to work with the people to inform them on hygiene issues. I think we are managing to pass on the message well. I haven't had many problems in teaching the people. All the children wash their hands now after they have been to the toilet. We are so much healthier and happier now," she says.