Madagascar
Helen Keller Intl opened its Madagascar office in 2023 with a goal of tackling the country’s high-rate of vitamin A deficiency, especially among children under five-years-old. When the country transitioned from door-to-door campaigns to routine treatment, there were considerable drops in the coverage, leaving out children in greatest need. Working closely with Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health, with generous funding from GiveWell, we are working at the national and regional levels to close these gaps by training healthcare workers and educating families about the importance of vitamin A so that every child can benefit from this simple, efficient intervention.
41% of children under the age of 5 suffer from vitamin A deficiency, negatively impacting their health and vision.
58% of health centers in Madagascar face vitamin A shortages and are unable to meet the healthcare needs of their communities.
Only 12% of health facility staff are trained the distribute and educate families about the importance of vitamin A.
Together, we help communities create lasting change by:
Partnering with the Ministry of Public Health and UNICEF to coordinate vitamin A distribution to children across 4 regions.
Building health system capacity to increase vitamin A supply so that all children under the age of 5 will benefit.
Training health and community workers to distribute vitamin A through door-to-door campaigns and routine health center visits.
Last year, we helped millions build lasting change
Number of staff: 9
Office opened: 2023
People reached annually: 580,000
Operating budget: $1.62M
Latest stories and headlines from Madagascar
Our work in Madagascar is supported by:
GiveWell, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
