Full Coverage: Madagascar

07.10.2009 An exceptional authorisation from the Malagasy transitional government for the export of raw and semi-processed precious woods risks opening a loophole for the legal export of illegally cut timber and encouraging further assaults on Madagascar's endangered forests and wildlife, say conservation groups.

20.08.2009 Shocking new pictures show a massive upsurge in the illegal hunting of lemurs in Madagascar that threatens the survival of many species.

10.02.2009 Over 40 people have been killed and more than 350 wounded during anti-government demonstrations in the Madagascan capital Antananarivo, according to hospital sources.

20.10.2008 The award of "the world's largest prize" for African leadership to former Botswana president Festus Mogae comes under fire for his alleged role in overseeing the eviction of the Kalahari Bushmen from their land.
+ Roger Samba wins the $200,000 J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership.

09.10.2007 The president's political party won a landslide victory in last week's elections in Madagascar, but a Malagasy blogger reports concerns about low turnout and inadequate supervision of the counting process.

10.04.2007 Communities in Madagascar, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia are struggling to recover from a season of unusually heavy rains, cyclones, severe flooding, and extreme drought.

04.04.2007 A World Bank-sponsored infrastructure program may soon bring low-cost, high speed connectivity to East and Southern Africa, the only world region not connected to global broadband.

03.01.2007 A compound derived from tree bark has potential as a preventative treatment for malaria, according to a study published in PLoS Medicine.

13.12.2006 Provisional results are showing re-election for Madagascar's president, a former businessman who took power four years ago and has largely been considered a liberal reformer.

01.02.2006 The marriage of public and private efforts has helped the highly impoverished Anosy Region of Madagascar--where more than 80% of the population live below the national poverty line--to forge a sustainable development plan. Anosy has benefited from a combination of community participation, financial support from USAID, and technical assistance from a multinational company.

25.01.2006 A thorough assessment of nutritional levels in Madagascar's drought-stricken southeast has revealed that not as many people as previously thought are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition, according to U.N. agencies, but the situation is still quite "fragile" and the front-line responders remain short on funds.

15.12.2005 Earlier this year a debt cancellation package was agreed for 18 of the world's most impoverished countries, but now the IMF has announced a final test must be passed by six of them to qualify for the January write-off. Africa Action wants you to join them this week in telling the IMF that more delays cost more lives!

18.11.2005 Malnutrition rates have reached an almost unbelievable 50% in the southeastern region of Madagascar. Over 14,000 children are affected and 400 are likely to die without immediate intervention in the next few weeks. Flooding, high transportation costs, geographic isolation, and the falling price of vanilla are largely to blame.

25.10.2005 New mothers in Madagascar and Ghana have begun to hear about the importance of breastfeeding from many different sources--including their favorite singer--and the results are already beginning to show.

17.11.2004 Focusing on Madagascar, this soon-to-be-released documentary examines what one innovative local organization is doing to help save the forest by promoting family planning.

15.09.2004 Radio Mampita is a membership based community radio owned and operated by Malagasy farmers. Created in 1997, it plays a key role in strengthening communications between different segments of society.

10.03.2004 Officials in Madagascar have had no word of a ferry carrying 113 passengers and crew since a cyclone ripped across the Indian Ocean island, killing at least 11 and leaving tens of thousands homeless. The ferry reached the Mahajanga port at 5pm on Sunday but was not allowed to dock because customs officers were not on duty.

05.02.2004 A prominent American foundation has just invested $1.6 million in preserving the biodiversity of the tiny island of Madagascar, which due to its isolation contains highly diverse ecosystems--but due to its poverty, does little in the way of environmental protection.

30.01.2004 In just one month Jocelyn, 12, has learnt to read. He is attending one of Madagascar’s 260 learning centres scattered in villages in the poor provinces of Fianarantsoa, Majunga, Tamatave and Toliara. The centre is Jocelyn’s first contact with an educational institution. Like many children living in rural Madagascar, Jocelyn’s parents, who are farmers, could not afford to send him to school. “I hope the courses won’t stop. I want to continue to learn,” Jocelyn says, while proudly reading to his parents from his book.

27.06.2003 Ninth graders in a Madagascar school are not lectured on how institutions are run in civic education classes. The students are instead divided in groups where they discuss problems facing their society and solutions for these. Read more on the Madagascar Media and Message project.