A rare initiative to support street dwellers in the country, while in ten years, poverty has exploded in Malagasy cities, according to the latest data from the World Bank, the AIM (Akany Iarivo Mivoy) center, co-managed by the private foundation Axian and the Urban Commune of Antananarivo, welcomes 148 residents. All have experienced the violence and difficulties of the street. Here, they have a few months to rebuild their lives, educate their children and receive free medical care. A reintegration intended to be sustainable, which also involves work.
2 min
With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Pauline Le Troquier
In this sewing workshop, Jenny has her hands screwed on her sewing machine. Until a few months ago, she lived alone with her four children in a makeshift shelter, without any resources. After a year of training within the center, she has just landed a permanent job in a textile factory in the free zone. from Antananarivo.
” The most important thing is attendance at sewing classes. I took tests to be hired by my current company, which pays me 260,000 ariary, (nearly 55 euros) per month. And I immediately mastered the required techniques! “, the young woman rejoices.
Every resident must train
A journey which alone sums up the philosophy of the place. Here, whether it is cooking or crafts, each resident must train, in return for a living environment conducive to the development of new skills. Nirina is the deputy manager there. “ It’s really a different world compared to what they lived before the center. They have a roof, medical care, they can eat three meals a day like the rest of the Malagasy, while in the street, they could only have one meal, or even none in a day. “.
In the middle of the courtyard, very lively that afternoon, Jeanne-Irène has not taken off her work blouse. Just hired in a partner restaurant of the center as a cleaning lady, this mother of four children, widow, approaches the future serenely. I am not afraid to leave the center. My son has a chronic illness, the only thing I fear is that his medical care will drain my savings. But I feel ready to face life outside ” she assures.
The center’s partner companies are still too few in number to offer each resident a job when they leave. Faced with the explosion of poverty in Antananarivo, those in charge of the center say they cannot act alone and call on the private sector to play its role in the reintegration of the homeless.