Social actions to accompany the development of the RN6 highway

Social actions to accompany the development of the RN6 highway
Project : Projet ASA Miaro
Finance by : Union Européenne
Start of intervention : April 2016
End of intervention : September 2019

The ASA Miaro project is a project of social and gender actions to accompany the development of the National Road No. between Port Bergé and Ambanja.

The social actions were carried out in order to preserve the newly rehabilitated roads and to make the investments made profitable.

The specific objective of the ASA Miaro project is to establish a social and economic environment favorable to the appropriation of the road heritage by the neighboring population and road users.

The expected results are :

  • the acquisition by the local population and by road users of positive practices and behaviors for the preservation of road infrastructures,
  • the acquisition of road safety elements by users and local residents,
  • improving the social and economic conditions of men and women,
  • initiating gender mainstreaming in the context and process of local development,
  • support for local strategies to fight STIs and HIV/AIDS,
  • improving the physical environment in the roadside neighborhoods.

The activities undertaken during the project consisted of :

  • the implementation of local structures and legal measures for the preservation of the road and its rights-of-way: local access, municipal by-laws;
  • collaboration with the road police in education and prevention activities;
  • educating users in road safety: schoolchildren, cart drivers, cyclists, cattle herdsmen;
  • the construction and rehabilitation of community facilities: wells, markets, schools;
  • support for the development of Income-Generating Activities (IGAs) in order to diversify the sources of income of disadvantaged groups: literacy, provision of equipment and technical training in agriculture, animal husbandry and handicrafts;
  • improving the mobility of the population: promotion of carts with pneumatic wheels or rubber tires;
  • community-based communication on gender disparities;
  • contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
    - to work to protect the physical environment of the road.

The project collaborated with administrative and technical authorities of different categories and at different levels (Ministries, Regions, Communes and Fokontany). A team of socio-organizers and facilitators carried out sensitization and social supervision of the neighboring population.

A call for tenders was made to small and medium enterprises for the realization of the construction works. The project also involved experts and service providers in various fields (health, gender, environment, education, agronomy, communication).

Achievements of the project

  • Communication actions : Posters (including giant posters), Brochures, Radio programs, TV spots, Workshops
  • Mayors' Guide on the preservation of national roads (ASA Miaro Road Book)
  • Advocacy and sensitization sessions on the themes targeted by the project: road preservation, road safety, environment, HIV/AIDS, and gender.
  • Action research on improved carts: pneumatic wheels and rubber-tyred wheels
  • Income Generating Activities: agriculture (rice, market gardening, peanuts), fishing, breeding (ducks, goats, pigs, laying hens), crafts (stone cutting, sewing).
  • Socio-collective facilities: 18 wells, 3 shower latrines, 10 schools, 3 market areas,
  • Road safety equipment: rest areas, traffic signs
  • Support for the creation and training of Road
  • Committees, Infrastructure Management
  • Committees, Bushfire Control Committees and Gender Focal Points
  • Training of peer educators and grassroots community organizations in the fight against STIs and HIV/AIDS
  • Carrying out voluntary testing and equipping 3 HIV/AIDS information centers with audio-visual material.
  • Watershed protection, reforestation, mangrove replanting, nursery development
  • Green school actions: reforestation, vegetable gardens
  • Construction of an information center on the tourist and archaeological site of Mahilaka.