The “Vonjy AiNA” first aid training program will continue this year, with a focus on young adults. As a sub-project, the first aid training courses are currently to be carried out in four districts on the east coast of Madagascar in particular.

The courtesy visits to this region took place in February as an important stage before the start of the training courses. The aim was to present the content of the project and the project plan to local stakeholders. We met governors, mayors and directors who all recognized the importance of the project and welcomed it with open arms.

During this time, we also had the opportunity to meet some of the future participants of the project. During the awareness-raising sessions, we were able to give them an insight into what to expect during the training to encourage them to sign up.

The project in this region will run for two years. We will start the first training courses as early as March 2024. Our aim is to have around 500 active first aiders in these four districts as a result of these initial first aid training courses. We will select the most committed young people with good potential and train them as new first aid instructors. Training courses for new instructors are planned for next year, so we can be sure that the transfer of knowledge will continue. Even if AiNA soa is active in a different region.

Some photos of courtesy visits to the east of the country

Thirsty on a pirogue

Apart from our main activity, we are currently experiencing increasingly severe water problems. Some districts around Antananarivo (the capital of Madagascar) have been living with water supply problems for many years. Unfortunately, these cannot be solved so easily – on the contrary – it is getting worse and worse and now affects almost all neighborhoods in the city. This means that most of AiNA soa’s employees and our offices are also affected.

The impact on daily life is enormous. Without clean water, it is not easy to cook. In addition, you can hardly wash properly because the little water is barely enough to brush your teeth and wash your face. Showering becomes a luxury.

There are no official explanations from the authorities as to why there is this challenge with the water supply. In the dry season, it is always said that it has not rained enough and now in the current rainy season it is said that the water pipes are too old.

Every household has to find its own solution to cope with the situation. Everyone needs a few containers to store water. Thus began the boom in “yellow containers”. Wealthier families can buy larger blue barrels.  But even if people have such a water tank at home, many have to get up at 2 a.m. every night to fill it. This is usually the time when the water suddenly returns. Due to the many sleepless nights, a family member of an AiNA soa employee experienced a rise in their own blood pressure. We hope that the situation will calm down again soon. Paradoxically, Madagascar is one of the most water-rich countries in the world.

Come on, let’s run together again!

The AiNA soa team’s sponsored run is taking place for the sixth time as part of the Wings for Life Run. We here in Madagascar are taking part for the third time. It is an opportunity for us to actively raise money for our activities. This year we have the highest number of participants so far under the banner of AiNA soa (35 people, 11 of them in Madagascar and 24 in Switzerland, as of March 3, 2024). You can see all the runners on our sponsored run page. We are very happy about every support. This is a great motivation to run as far as possible on May 5. If you would like to run yourself, you are also very welcome to get in touch.

We are very pleased that we can continue to be active thanks to your interest and support for our work.

Sincerely,

Mirindra