Autonomy at the heart of fishing communities in Madagascar

woman processing fish in Madagascar.

Autonomy at the heart of fishing communities in Madagascar

Résaux sociaux
Contenu

In Madagascar, our teams and partners are working together to improve the incomes and living conditions of fishing families. This involves, in particular, greater social and financial independence for women. You too can help us transform lives. 

In villages that depend on fishing on the west coast of Madagascar, hundreds of inhabitants have formed cooperatives. While the men generally go out to sea, the women play a central role in the preservation, processing and packaging of fish, prawns and other shellfish.

With our support, around 100 women from cooperatives have undergone training to perfect these skills. In addition, three collection points for fishery products have been set up and equipped with solar-powered refrigerators.

A step further with literacy

These changes enable women to sell fish further afield and at better prices. To help them with these sales activities, women who wish to do so can also take literacy classes. There were 155 of them in 2024. Some also join a Solidarity Savings Group, a scheme that facilitates collective savings and access to small loans to develop an economic activity.

These actions, combined, offer women their own income and a better status in their households and communities.

 I support this project

More news

Four years of research into mangrove resilience
09/07/2026
Constant Setondé Gnansounou has just defended his thesis at UNamur. Now a Doctor of Science, he has been conducting research for the past 10 years into mangroves, their… +
pêche Mada
02/07/2026
In Madagascar, mangroves play a vital role for biodiversity, fisheries and coastal communities. But in the Menabe region, this ecosystem is under threat from human activity and… +
appli mangroves
29/06/2026
Protecting and monitoring mangrove areas to prevent illegal logging poses a real challenge for the authorities. In Benin, local residents can now play their part in this effort,… +
Fonds solidaire
23/06/2026
The Solidarity Fund is a programme run by Louvain Coopération which supports UCLouvain students wishing to develop projects with a social impact, either in Belgium or in the… +
Madagascar: Making a living from mangrove honey
17/06/2026
A rare honey with an exceptional flavour. This is yet another gift that the mangroves offer us. When mangrove trees are healthy, their flowers produce a substantial amount of… +
Mangroves: local communities on the front line
11/06/2026
In southern Benin, mangroves have lost a quarter of their area in the space of a few decades. With the support of Louvain Coopération and its partners, local communities are now… +