USAID |

Madagascar is a region of biologically diverse ecosystems. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supports integrated population, health, and environment (PHE) programs in eight such countries through Africa and Asia. Through synergies between family planning, human health, and environmental conservation, the PHE approach yields better results in terms of sustainability and efficiency than a single-sector approach. These project countries are areas of rare sensitive landscapes where communities have little access to health services, sanitation, and family planning. USAID’s PHE activity in Madagascar involves nine partner NGOs in over 160 communities. A Malagasy umbrella organization, Voahary Salama Association, was established to coordinate activities between partners and ensure a standard integrated approach. The interventions in Madagascar led to improved health, agricultural production, nutrition, and household income. Evaluation results showed that the program achieved a greater impact over a three-year period than non-integrated sites. Thirty out of 37 key indicators repeatedly showed improvements in integrated sites. The hope is that synergies in health and environment activities will translate to greater benefits for populations and communities’ well-being.