A Community Health Hero in Madagascar
Jemima Tsimaniry Rasoavelomanana delivers vitamin A
In the bright landscapes of Morondava on Madagascar’s west coast, district nutrition officer Jemima Tsimaniry Rasoavelomanana works tirelessly to ensure that nutrition is accessible to all.
In Morondava, life revolves around fishing, agriculture and lively markets. However, the population faces difficulties in accessing healthcare. Roads are often impassable, particularly during the rainy season when dirt paths turn to mud. This slows the delivery of Vitamin A and complicates monitoring of nutritional interventions.
Yet Jemima never gives up, as she confides:
“I can’t let difficult conditions prevent our community from accessing adequate nutrition.”
— Jemima Tsimaniry Rasoavelomanana
She regularly travels between the district’s 18 Basic Health Centers (CSBs), training community workers, collecting data, or talking to mothers about feeding practices. Her commitment goes far beyond her technical responsibilities: she is committed to a mission of social justice.
When partnership becomes a driver of change
It is in this demanding context that Helen Keller Intl is providing essential support. With Helen Keller Intl’s backing, Jemima and the District Public Health Service team deliver vitamin A supplementation to children aged 6 to 59 months. Their work includes:
Door-to-door catch-up sessions for children who have not received their dose of vitamin A in the last six months
Reinforcing the skills of health workers at Basic Health Centers (CSB); community agents and community relays.
Transporting inputs and awareness-raising materials to the last mile.
Logistical and technical support for planning and monitoring supplementation campaigns.
These activities are helping to reduce inequalities in access, even in the most isolated areas.
Visible results, lasting inspiration
Thanks to this collective commitment, results are already on the horizon: better coordination of nutritional activities at district level, increased vitamin A coverage, and growing community involvement.
The numbers are there, yes. But it’s the smiles on the faces of the reassured mothers, the healthier children, and the new-found confidence of the local teams that tell the strongest story.
Jemima is much more than a district manager. She is both a community leader and an architect of the future. And at her side, Helen Keller Intl continues to make nutrition a lever for sustainable change.
Helen Keller Intl is implementing a vitamin A supplementation program in Madagascar, funded by GiveWell over a 4-year period. The vitamin A supplementation program addresses vitamin A deficiency, a major public health problem in Madagascar, primarily targeting children aged 6-59 months, who are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of this deficiency. Implemented in eight regions of the country, this program includes not only the regular distribution of supplements, but also awareness-raising actions aimed at families, especially mothers, to highlight the importance of vitamin A for children’s health and development. Supported by GiveWell, this program reaches the most isolated areas, helping to improve the health of Malagasy children while reducing malnutrition in these regions.
