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Country Profiles |
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Madagascar
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From September 1997 to September 2009, FHI worked in Madagascar on USAID-funded programs. Until 2005, FHI managed the IMPACT Project and its efforts to help the national government and local organizations minimize the spread of HIV. From 2006, FHI partnered with the Ministry of Health and Family Planning on the USAID-funded Contraceptive and Reproductive Health Technologies and Research Utilization program, devising the training program for non-medically trained health agents who now safely and effectively administer injectable contraceptives to women who want to use this method. To learn more about FHI's work in Madagascar, browse below for news about activities at the time they were implemented.
Community-based distribution boosts rural access to family planning
In Madagascar, FHI is working to improve women's access to contraception and other reproductive health services, train community-based outreach workers, and update family planning guidelines to align them with international standards. FHI has worked with the Government of Madagascar and NGOs since 2002 to implement programs ranging from operational research to peer education. And we are providing technical assistance to the government to design and implement a national behavioral surveillance survey (BSS).
Community-based distribution (CBD) programs for family planning take contraception to the community where women live, rather than requiring women to visit clinics or other locations for services. Including injectable contraceptives among the methods provided by CBD agents has proven to be safe and feasible in other countries. The MOHFP, with FHI's assistance, is currently testing the feasibility of this model in Madagascar. FHI is managing a clinical trial, supported by National Institutes of Health STI Clinical Trials Group, that is comparing the rates at which azithromycin and penicillin successfully cure early syphilis. Previous research has shown that patients prefer azithromycin because it is offered in a single, oral dose, whereas penicillin is provided by injection. Additionally, azithromycin might prove to be a good option for patients who are allergic to penicillin. The current recommended treatment is doxycycline twice daily for 14 days, a regimen that can prove difficult for some patients to comply with. Female Condoms Improve Public Health in Madagascar (2007) The availability of female condoms is associated with more condom use, and thus better protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), according to results of a USAID-supported study in Madagascar.
FHI's strong partnerships with U.S. and host-country governmental agencies, international NGOs, universities, and local and faith-based organizations play a vital role in our high-quality research and programs.
FHI's office in Madagascar closed in September 2009. To contact us through another office, visit the Contact Web page. |
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MARCH 2009 — Community-based distribution of injectable contraceptives is proving an effective family planning solution for Madagascar and other countries with high demand and scarce services. Just 14 percent of women of childbearing age in Madagascar currently use modern methods of contraception. A program FHI is conducting with Madagascar's Ministry of Health is in place to help the government increase that percentage. The program is funded by the Contraceptive and Reproductive Health Technologies and Research Utilization program of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
