Rural municipality of Ambohitrimanjaka

Ambohitrimanjaka located 10km east of Antananarivo, the commune of Ambohitrimanjaka is in the district of Ambohidratrimo, Analamanga region. Before the intervention of Gender links, the municipality did not have a specific strategy on gender, the majority of activities did not take into consideration the strategic needs of women. However, the majority of staff are women. Ambohitrimanjaka commune is a recent center of excellence of GL. She was chosen from among the beneficiary communes of the project 'women and local elections' and was able to complete internships 01 to 10.

 An action plan for the implementation of the SADC protocol has been developed and approved by the advisors. The municipality also conducted awareness and information sessions on the objectives of the SADC protocol. The main occupations of the population are agriculture, particularly rice cultivation, livestock breeding and beekeeping. The Mayor is aware of the importance of gender mainstreaming in municipal politics. 

Gender has become a priority insofar as all the staff of the commune, the community at the level of Fokontany (village) recognize the issue of women’s participation in the development process, and the care for women victims of violence. Thanks to the existence of the action plan, the centre of excellence process has made it possible to raise awareness and mobilize the community in order to promote the equal participation of women and men in the development process. The municipality was able to establish a partnership agreement with PROPERER for the construction of an entrepreneurship training center in order to empower women.

In addition, the municipality was able to invest in various infrastructures including the municipal market, the basketball court for young people, a basic health center, and road infrastructure. An association called 'gender committee' was formed. The implementation of the process brought changes in the municipality. This change is manifested at the level of men: they are convinced of the need to work together with women. At the level of community mentality: couples are more inclined to civil marriage in order to avoid cohabitation, a source of violence. At the level of the work system: there is a new relationship between the municipality and the users, all the staff (women and men) benefit from training on gender, women dare to come to the office of the municipality, and especially at the level of the homes, the manifestation of violence has significantly decreased. 

This community is very marked by the spirit of effective participation, the commune as a centre of excellence having an action plan other than the local development plan. Despite the efforts made by the municipality, barriers still prevent progress in gender integration in this municipality, particularly: customs and traditions, some advisors are not yet convinced of the importance of the gender approach, the non-involvement of women in the process of perpetuating the project. The performance of this municipality could be improved by encouraging the participation of individuals in group activities regardless of age, gender, social class or level of education. It would also be necessary to continue raising awareness among certain council members, develop women’s capacities and encourage women’s participation in political life in view of the next municipal election.