With Madagascar being one of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa most affected by malnutrition, Ambatovy recently played an important role as a key sponsor at the 7th edition of the National Nutrition Day, held in Toamasina on Saturday 9 June 2012.
With two 3 m2 Ambatovy stalls, and presence on all the event’s promotional material, Ambatovy was highly visible throughout the day’s proceedings, which saw the Avenue de l’Independence packed with thousands of people, all eager to find out more about the importance of good nutrition.
At Saturday’s event, Ambatovy displayed products and information from the Agricultural Training Centre such as market gardening, free-range eggs and rabbit breeding, whilst the Communication team provided general information about Ambatovy and were able to answer any questions concerning the Project and its role in the community, all of which received enthusiastic support. A visit from the Prime Minister and his delegation to the Ambatovy stand also enabled the team to promote the importance of Ambatovy’s contribution to the development of Madagascar.
As part of its Social Development Plan, Ambatovy is committed to improving the health of the population of its two resettlement villages. Improving the nutritional status of these villagers is a key factor in achieving this goal.
Since the establishment of the resettlement villages Ambatovy has been actively involved in various nutrition activities. A partnership agreement has been signed with the Atsinananana National Nutrition Office (ONN) to establish two community nutrition centres in these villages to ensure and promote child growth, to inform mother about best feeding practices for infants and young children and to empower communities to take charge of preventive nutrition interventions for child malnutrition and mortality, in synergy with other sustainable development activities.
In these same villages, Ambatovy has offered agricultural extension services, tools, and seeds as a way of improving livelihoods, which are traditionally based on agriculture. Many farmers now sell their produce to bulk purchasing centres, which resell it to large customers such as Ambatovy.
