Improving access to health care

2023, Madagascar

Partage et Solidarité is an Alsatian NGO created in 1990 and made up entirely of volunteers. Its main objective is to bring help to children whose fundamental rights are not assured. Since 2009, about 200 children and students living in Tananarive or Port Bergé are sponsored by the association. The objectives of the sponsorship are: the fight against malnutrition, access to schooling and medical care. Today, the health care offer for the population in great precariousness of Port Bergé is seriously deficient. The public hospital, which is a bit out of the way, is in a state of great decrepitude and totally lacking in equipment. The population has recourse to private care only as a last resort, notably because of the financial problem. The Sisters have at heart to offer a local welcome and quality care in a relationship of trust with the population, while developing the partnership between the structures according to their skills.

The John Cockerill Foundation has shown its confidence in our commitment, and has allowed us to optimize the medical dispensary project. The financial support during the second part of the project balanced our accounts, allowing us to make the right choices until the end, and to ensure careful finishing, thanks to conscientious and competent local craftsmen. We were also able to rehabilitate a small pre-existing building on the site which will constitute a very useful extension. The logistical, technical and financial support will allow us to make the buildings almost autonomous in water (storage and filtering of rainwater) and in electricity (photovoltaic cells) which will reduce the operating costs and the ecological impact. Beyond the financial support, the association Partage et Solidarité has seen in this partnership with the Foundation a human support, the recognition of the values it defends. It is in close collaboration with the Franciscan Sisters, who are so motivated and invested in this common project, that we address our sincere thanks to the Foundation.

Véronique Absolu President of Partage et Solidarité

In the fall of 2021, Partage et Solidarité chose to partner with the Franciscan Sisters of Madagascar to carry out a project to build and finance a dispensary designed to improve health care and prevention in terms of hygiene, health and contraception in the rural commune of Port Bergé. Construction of the dispensary began in September 2022 and the site, built with local labor and materials, is progressing satisfactorily. In order to ensure the complete realization of the project and not to draw on the budget allocated to the sponsorship of the children, the association launched an appeal for donations and asked us for help.

1922

potential beneficiaries

4400 Wp

Total power (photovoltaic panels)

144 m²

Area of the dispensary

3000 L

of recovered and treated water

After several exchanges on the local living conditions and on what we could bring them, we concluded a partnership which aims at financing the end of the construction of the main building and the rehabilitation of the annex, which will be used for a variety of purposes depending on needs (care or prevention activities, accommodation for people visiting from the bush, storage….).

Moreover, as the electrical network is not stable and the lack of water due to periods of drought is frequent, we are committed to accompanying them to make the dispensary as autonomous as possible in water and electricity through sustainable and clean systems.

In the summer of 2023, construction of the dispensary was completed and the existing annex building was completely renovated. It now serves as a laundry, ironing room and storage area. The dispensary was inaugurated on September 7 and opened its doors to the first patients the very next day. We then concentrated on the water part of the project. Following an analysis of the situation and needs, three 1000L Makiplasts (water tanks) were installed, along with a filtration system. This system now provides the dispensary with a continuous supply of drinking water. The tanks are fed either by rainwater (in the wet season) or by mains water (in the dry season). In both cases, the water is filtered and, when it leaves the tanks, is much cleaner than mains water (often brownish). As soon as the water part of the project was completed, we started thinking about the electricity part at the beginning of February. To date, 8 550W photovoltaic panels have been installed (for a total power of 4400Wp), which will enable the dispensary to function optimally even in the event of a power cut (notably by powering the fridge containing the vaccines, keeping the lights on in the treatment rooms…).