A document capturing the responses of Population-Health-Environment (PHE) partners to Covid-19 was presented on the 19th of May via Zoom to more than forty participants. Since April 2020, two national health emergencies have been declared in Madagascar as a direct response to the pandemic and restrictive measures have been implented to tackle rising cases.
The first quarter of 2021 will see a gradual resumption of the regional activities of the PHE Network. In mid-March, the SAVA region (North-East of Madagascar) hosted the first North-East regional coordination meeting, which was followed by the first regional PHE Day: two complementary events in which more than twenty NGOs/associations and regional directorates from the SAVA and Analanjirofo regions participated.
Focusing on intersectionality in a global health crisis has enabled us to rapidly reorganize and respond to the most pressing needs to help people, especially the most vulnerable, and to strengthen their resilience to the shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has confirmed the flexibility of our integrated approach that allows us to adapt to needs and priorities according to the context.
The PHE network and its members are resuming their activities in promoting a Population-Health-Environment (PHE) approach to support community-led biodiversity conservation and strengthen health services following the lifting of Madagascar’s COVID-19 health emergency.
As health and conservation organisations across Madagascar mobilise vulnerable rural communities to protect themselves and their livelihoods in the face of COVID-19, the PHE network launches a suite of resources and online support to advance agile, community-based, cross-sector responses to this unprecedented global pandemic.
Key results, implementation experiences and lessons learned were shared through presentations, exhibition stands, posters, discussion panels and community testimonies.