Project Update: Engaging girls on climate change in Madagascar

Madagascar is the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change in the world, with adverse effects from its impacts on almost all sectors. In Madagascar, 39% of children under 5 have stunted growth in their age brackets, which is a manifestation of malnutrition caused in part by inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Only 41% of the population has access to basic water services, and just 19% of schools have access to safe water. Without proper WASH services and practices, children – especially young girls -are at a much greater risk of diarrheal disease, which in turn contributes to malnutrition and the country’s high rate of stunting.

Additionally, significant inequalities exist across the regions in terms of access to hygiene products for women and girls. More than 32% of women and adolescent girls do not have regular access to the menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) products they need, and if they have access, managing waste is still a challenge. While the partnership with UNICEF USA came to a close in 2024, the project has made immense impacts in the communities to support children and adolescent girls through environmental education. Through the Three Star Approach and applying WASH in schools, activities were carried out in the districts of Ambovombe and Beloha in the Androy region to ensure healthy habits are taught, practiced and integrated into daily school routines. Schools were encouraged to take simple steps to make sure all students wash their hands with soap, have access to safe drinking water, and are provided with clean, gender-segregated and child-friendly toilets.

The funding from Zonta International enabled UNICEF to reach approximately 3,185 students (including 1,731 girls) – triple the number of students originally anticipated – with gender-segregated WASH services in schools and an integrated learning program for child and adolescents to support the improvement of their family’s health and environment. The pilot schools showed five key project performance indicators of the program’s success and progress:

1. All project schools have vegetable and flower gardens managed by children’s clubs under the supervision of teachers. Students sustainably harvest crops to use in the school cafeterias, which in turn improves iron intake, especially among young girls.
2. Recycling bins have been installed at strategic locations at all pilot schools, with separate bins designated for recyclable, biodegradable and sharp waste. Recycling not only enhances environmental awareness among students, but it also has a tangible impact on the school environment.
3. All schools have active girls’ clubs made up of 20 girls who lead, manage and coordinate WASH activities to promote good hygiene and other WASH practices. Training on menstrual health and hygiene awareness using a game (iKa’lio), production of reusable sanitary pads, cleaning the schools’ WASH infrastructure, planting trees and caring for the gardens at the schools are some of the activities these clubs do.
4. All pilot schools have functioning WASH management committees that monitor school WASH activities. These committees involve students and school administrators in maintaining the cleanliness of latrines, ensuring hand washing stations are stocked, and support the girls’ clubs.
5. UNICEF launched the mWater system to track access to WASH services in schools. The development of Madagascar’s WASH sector information management system through the mWater platform has greatly facilitated the monitoring of school progress. Data will continue to be accessible on this platform after the conclusion of the project.
6. Training has been conducted for 750 teachers and pedagogic zone managers from 700 schools on building skills and awareness on essential environmental education topics. As a result, more than 171,000 students have been impacted (including 95,100 girls), by embedding sustainable practices and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility across the pilot schools.

One unanticipated development from the partnership and project happened when the standardized design of the school latrine was completed. UNICEF learned that the cost to build these latrines would be less than initially planned for the project – and with Zonta International’s partnership, UNICEF constructed an additional six latrines.

With the success of the project, the commitment to WASH in Schools programs has increased at the Ministry of National Education/Regional Directorate and the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene/Regional Directorate. By being involved in each step of the project’s design and implementation, the ministries’ engagement improved, opening the door to scaling up this approach in more schools.

UNICEF does not endorse any brand, company, organization, product or service.

6 JUNE 2025