Madagascar’s independance from the French colonisation will be remembered on the 26th of June. The usual celebration will not happen due to the corona virus partial lockdown.

The following article is given from a Malagasy perspective. 60 years of independance should have led the country to the stage of maturity. Sadly enough, the reality is very different from that picture. Diverse factors, internal and external, have contributed to the downfall of the country and many of its systems.

What would change this picture? Change will not happen, unless the population and their leaders come to the awareness of their responsibilities towards the problems (There will be no change unless the population, as well as the people in leadership positions, become aware that they have to take on their own responsibilities in order to solve problems and difficulties.). Then they will move (Transfer) from feeling victims to being in charge, from being passive to being active, from being always at the receiving end to being the giving hands. Foreign aid should serve as a leverage to this process, not an ongoing help which reinforces dependency.

AiNA soa empowers communities in the rural areas of Madagascar with practical skills which help them deal with health issues in their midst. This is done through the collaboration with the health system whose branches reach far in the countryside. An illustration of what we want to see is the neurological system. The interaction of the different elements ensures the dynamism of the body.

The team is now waiting for the reopening of the frontier between the regions, as they were closed since the beginning of the lockdown. Until then, we are processing our work with the Ministry of Health and also helping vulnerable families with food money we received from generous donors in Switzerland.