Madagascar crisis

3 August 2009

Earlier in the year, we reported on how the situation in Madagascar had affected the work of our partner, YMCA Madagascar. Read more information here. Whilst the situation has calmed down since the political violence experienced in March, Madagascar continues to be in a state of crisis.

Following a series of violent incidents and political disputes earlier in the year, Madagascar’s President was ousted in March in what the international community has condemned as a coup. This resulted in opposition leader and former Mayor of the capital city, Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina taking over power and establishing a transition government.

Supporters loyal to the former President - who is now in exile in South Africa - have continued to demonstrate against the transitional government on a daily basis. Whilst the African Union and the UN have intervened, no settlement has yet been achieved.

The current situation
The situation remains extremely volatile. Arrests, looting and vandalism continue and the economic situation has deteriorated drastically. In reaction to the coup, the country’s major international donors, including the USA and Norway, immediately froze aid and Madagascar was suspended from the African Union. The majority of investors have now left the country, and tourism, one of Madagascar’s greatest resources, has been wiped out as result of the continued instability. The country has also been affected by the global financial crisis through a dramatic drop in demand, which has further exacerbated the economic situation.

Madagascar YMCA
At the peak of the crisis in early 2009, when thousands of people took to the streets in civil protests that turned violent, Madagascar YMCA had to close all of its centres and offices in Antananarivo for a number of days. In the community surrounding the YMCA centre in Ankazomanga, there were frequent gun battles between the army and demonstrators and tear gas grenades were let off outside the YMCA office. Many young people from the community were reportedly given money by the opposition parties to demonstrate, fight and man roadblocks that sprung up across the city.

Whilst maintaining a neutral standpoint, during the peak of the crisis the YMCA made a call for peace, and condemned the acts of violence and vandalism. They also demanded respect for the rights of young people, calling for them not to be used as political instruments, but to be seen as responsible citizens on whom the nation can count.

A meeting of young HIV peer educators in Carion. These young people were trained as part of a Y Care supported project which ended in October 2008. They will now help the YMCA train other young people identified as peer educators as part of the new project.

Impact of the crisis on young people
A new report by Unicef (June 2009) has highlighted the effects of the recent political crisis on young people.

The report – which was the result of surveying over 12,000 young people - shows how the crisis has disproportionately affected young people. They have lost out on education, lost jobs or employment opportunities and lost freedom as a result of curfews, roadblocks and the fact that violence on the street and the emergence of street gangs, has led to parents keeping children and young people at home.
 
The report states that the recent events have led to a change in the education preferences among young people. Many young people now have a preference for enrolling in technical or vocational courses and putting an end to further education. This is due to a rising perception that technical and vocational trainees are less exposed to future unemployment. The report also states that young people are disappointed about the lack of recreational activities, spaces for young people to meet and youth-friendly health and counselling services. Read the full report.

'Youth in crisis' project
These findings reinforce the need for the services the YMCA is offering, in particular the ‘Youth in Crisis’ project, which began in November 2008 with support from Y Care International. The aim of this three-year project is to train 500 young people in vocational skills and support them to secure employment or start up their own small business. The project will also increase young people’s access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services and information, including training 300 young people as HIV/AIDS peer educators.

Vero (18) and Harima (19)* in theory classes as part of their vocational training, which was part of a project supported by Y Care up until October 2008.

However, the YMCA has experienced difficulties in implementing project activities. Because of the volatile situation, an emergency law passed in February 2009 made it illegal for young people to come together to meet, which means that the YMCA were extremely restricted in what they could do with young people. Such meetings are still inadvisable.

Not only that, but the costs of items to be purchased for the vocational training activities, such as sewing machines, has risen primarily due to the lack of availability of goods following large-scale looting in recent months. Due to the instability, maintaining links with key administrative authorities, such as the Vocational Training Dept of the Ministry of Public Affairs, Labour and Social Laws has been extremely difficult for the YMCA.

Despite all of this, the National General Secretary and her project staff are finding ways to roll out key project activities and have already identified and placed 130 disadvantaged young people on vocational training courses. Although the YMCA have had to delay a number of project activities, they are doing all they can to support young people at this time of crisis. Harriet Knox, Y Care’s Africa Programme Manager says: “I continue to be impressed with the extent and high quality of work that the staff have been able to do at this extremely challenging time. We are looking at ways in which we can help the YMCA to respond to this crisis by supporting young people who have been affected by the violence.”

* Names have been changed