Lives are changing for the better. In Vohindava, a rural commune in Vohipeno, Fitovinany region, vulnerable households are gradually seeing their living conditions improve thanks to the Vatsin’Ankohonana program. In the fokontany of Ambinany, 717 households benefit from cash transfers as well as training designed to develop their activities and better manage household resources.
In Ambinany, one of the commune’s fokontany located 9 km from the Vohipeno district capital, Enica Alinirina has been a beneficiary of the program since 2024. A mother of three, she now combines agriculture and livestock farming to improve her family’s income. The training she received allowed her to experiment with “basket compost” for cassava cultivation. “I couldn’t believe the yield obtained. A single cassava plant can produce up to 30 kg,” she testifies.
For Enica Alinirina, the support has also changed her family’s dietary habits. Nutrition training sessions taught her how to better balance meals by combining locally grown or available products. “We learned to better balance our diet and prepare healthy meals. Today, when we cook cassava, we accompany it with fish with oil or coconut. These are products we have here, so it is not difficult to obtain them,” she explains.
In Lanivoa, another commune located about 15 kilometers from Vohipeno towards Manakara, the progress is reflected in the development of livestock farming. Adris Rakotonirina and his family received support to launch a poultry business. Their farm, which initially had two hens and a rooster, now reaches several hundred chickens intended for sale.
The household also has savings to finance longer-term projects. Adris Rakotonirina’s children have returned to school, and the family has taken steps to regularize their civil status documents. For the household, the challenge now is to preserve these gains beyond the support period. “Even if the Vatsin’ankohonana program ends, our life has already improved. We will keep all the knowledge and experiences acquired to continue developing our future,” emphasizes the father.
The Vatsin’Ankohonana program is not based solely on cash transfers. Beneficiaries are also supported in developing income-generating activities and trained in various fields, including agriculture, livestock, household financial management, and nutrition. Implemented by the Development Intervention Fund (FID), under the coordination of the Ministry of Population and Solidarity and with financial support from the World Bank, the program operates in four communes and 26 fokontany in the Vohipeno area, supporting approximately 3,000 vulnerable households.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-23 10:38:35 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.2424.mg/protection-sociale-le-programme-vatsinankohonana-ameliore-le-quotidien-de-milliers-de-menages-dans-quatre-communes-de-vohipeno/