Why launch our first Data Hub in Madagascar?
With more than half the world’s population currently lacking access to safely-managed sanitation, you might wonder why we’ve decided to focus our initial efforts this year in Antananarivo (Tana), Madagascar. As we designed our Data Hub approach, we considered other countries, but three major factors ultimately drove our decision to launch in Madagascar.
Demonstrated Need for Change
Out of 152 countries in the world, Madagascar ranks 149th for sanitation provision. IMadagascar’s current sanitation infrastructure and services fail to meet population needs, especially in areas of rapid population growth and severe weather, like its capital city Tana. Not only does poorly-managed sanitation negatively impact population health, happiness, and dignity, it also impacts the economy. In fact, current research suggests that Madagascar’s economy loses nearly $600 million each year from lost productivity and increased health costs due to sanitation-related disease.
To put that into context, the annual loss to the Madagascan economy because of poor santation is more than the total sum of investment into Madagascar in the last ten years.
In Tana, the rate of urbanization is twice the global average. Many neighbourhoods in the city are prone to heavy flooding for several months of the year. The combination of high population density and frequent flooding strain already limited infrastructure and services, worsening the effects of water contamination and increasing the risk of disease epidemics. We hope that our work will improve sanitation for the 350,000 people living in Tana’s low income neighbourhoods.
Gaps in Existing Sanitation Data
The Malagasy sanitation sector has struggled to gather consistent and robust data, therefore limiting its ability to make effective investments and address population risks.
We saw an opportunity to help organisations in the Malagasy sanitation sector understand the value and methods of using data for improving sanitation infrastructure and services — starting with Tana, where the need appears the greatest.
Local Support for Our Work
We want our projects to create lasting change in the sanitation sector. To do this, we believe that it’s necessary to collaborate with local organisations in the communities where we work, so that we can co-create sanitation data solutions they’re interested in and able to sustain in the long-term.
Organisations local to Tana have expressed support and enthusiasm for our work, which was important to us as we considered the location for our first Data Hub. We’re excited to work with the municipal government, local sanitation organisations, and a utility company in Tana to design a pragmatic programme that empowers data-driven investments in sanitation.
Collaboration is one of our core values and a deal-breaker in deciding where we work.
Want to Join Our Journey?
Find out how to get involved by visiting our website and watch this space for ongoing updates.
