Supporting Children and Youth in Madagascar
Youth involvement is one of the cornerstones of the HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infection awareness campaigns that Ambatovy oversees in communities near our operating sites. Ten kiosks, constructed in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), provide local youth with a space to gather, exchange information and provide one another with support. The kiosks are managed by 20 peer educators – all trained by Ambatovy – who share information about HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. The kiosks are now under the management of the Regional Director Direction of Youth, which supports and coaches the young peer educators.
Last year, Ambatovy funded refresher training for the peer educators in the area around our operations and provided some equipment for the kiosks, like musical instruments and games.
The promotion and information sharing about child protection networks is done by Ambatovy staff in communication with regulatory authorities, visitors and community members on a regular basis.
These youth-related initiatives are part of Ambatovy’s Zero Tolerance Program, established to protect children and fight against child sexual exploitation. All Ambatovy personnel, as well as contractors, have signed a policy document to affirm their commitment to this important effort.
In past years, in partnership with local NGOs and UNICEF, Ambatovy constructed schools and supported environmental education from which thousands of youth have benefitted. More recently, Ambatovy has been supporting school nutrition programs through the National Office for Nutrition, a governmental agency.