2010
AMBATOVY SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
41
Public Health
With the influx of construction employees into Project areas,
there are bound to be public health impacts. Ambatovy is
committed to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS among its
workforce and in nearby communities. In 2010, we led an
HIV/AIDS campaign that educated both employees and
people in Project zones. Prevention programs were in
place at all Project sites, which included peer education,
condom promotion and distribution, information sessions and
confidential testing. Partnerships with specialized agencies
were also in place to help provide awareness on HIV/AIDS
and STDs.
Table 8: 2010 HIV/AIDS Workplace Campaign
People
Condoms Voluntary Hours of
period Reached Distributed
tests Education
2010
16,161
52,606
495
11,274
The other major public health initiative in 2010 was educating
PAPs on clean water and sanitation. Ambatovy installed wells
and water pumps along the pipeline and in the resettlement
villages. In the villages, training followed the WASH (water,
hygiene and sanitation) program. Along the pipeline, capacity-
building sessions were conducted with community members
to train them in money management, organization building
and basic maintenance to ensure that the wells and pumps
remain in working order.
Table 9: Installation of Well and Pump Infrastructure
Pumps and Wells
Installed or
People Trained
location
rehabilitated
in 2010
Pipeline
52
200
Resettlement villages
50
501
Education
Education is a significant concern in Madagascar, where
two-thirds of the population live in severe poverty
13
and many
children, particularly in rural areas, are not in school. The
most significant project in 2010 for Ambatovy’s education
program was collaborating with UNICEF in financing the
“Contract for School Success” Program (
Contrat Programme
de la Réussite Scolaire
,
CPRS
). The CPRS program started
in Madagascar more than 10 years ago and has significantly
contributed to improved access to primary school education,
retention rates and parent/community participation in
education. The aim of this training program is to mobilize the
main education actors (administrators, teachers, parents,
students, etc.) through community contracts and action plans
to drive their own local educational goals and activities. So
far Ambatovy and UNICEF have received 237 action plans
and trained 299 principals in the districts of Moramanga,
Brickaville and Toamasina II. These action plans will affect
some 43,600 students across 19 municipalities.
In addition to the CPRS, Ambatovy was active in promoting
education through a range of other channels. Employees were
offered an educational allowance to assist with their children’s
school fees. Ambatovy provided training and capacity-building
to local small businesses interested in supplying the Project.
The Project also undertook book and school supply donations
throughout the year, distributing nearly 1,900 books.
Livelihood Security
The vast majority of people near the pipeline are rural farmers
living in isolated villages. Various initiatives have been created
to support agricultural production and livelihood security
in Project areas. For example, Ambatovy constructed the
Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) in Toamasina and plans
are underway for another branch in Moramanga and one in
Brickaville. These training centres target demobilized workers
who wish to return to rural production, PAPs and small-
scale farmers in Project areas. Farmers received advice and
technical support on how to improve their fruit, vegetable and
livestock production, and are linked with the CAs that supply
produce for Ambatovy’s catering service.
Figure 2: ATC Registrations by Student Type, December 2010
n
Demobilized employees
n
Local farmers
n
Total
13
In 2010, Madagascar ranked 135 out of 169 on the Human Development Index with 68% of the population living below the poverty line of $1.25 per day.
Source: UNDP.
International Human Development Indicators: Madagascar.
Last accessed 06 September 2011,
.
7,367
5,519
1,848
C3. Social Performance
HIV/AIDS Initiatives
3
In 2010, more than 52,000 condoms were
distributed, mainly through dispenser machines
located in washrooms at Project sites, ensuring free
access in total confidentiality.
3
Also in this year, approximately 11,000 employee
hours were spent in HIV/AIDS awareness sessions.
3
Ambatovy worked closely with the Voluntary Counseling
and Testing Centre of Moramanga near the mine
site to support community awareness and outreach.
3
In December 2010, Ambatovy sponsored
World AIDS Day events in Toamasina, Moramanga
and Anivorano reaching more than 20,000 people
with prevention messages and facilitating more than
360 voluntary tests.
