Rural municipality of Mitsinjo Betanimena
Rural municipality of Mitsinjo Betanimena
The rural municipality of Mitsinjo Betanimena is located 7 km from Tulear, in southern Madagascar. With a population of 21,400, including 10,000 women, the inhabitants mainly live off livestock farming and agriculture. However, the main challenge facing the commune is the supply of drinking water due to a general lack of water resources. In terms of education, the commune has seven public primary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools.
Introduction
Mitsinjo Betanimena is a commune located 7 km from Tulear city, in the district of Tulear II. The population numbers 14,500. Agriculture, livestock farming, and trade are the main occupations of the population.
Before Gender Links (GL) got involved, women's issues were not taken into account by the community. Women are marginalized and are not allowed to speak at public or community meetings, in accordance with customs and traditions.
Since 2012, the municipality of Mitsinjo Betanimena has been chosen as GL's Center of Excellence. It has benefited from the “Women and Local Elections” project, a project initiated by GL and UNDP with a view to achieving the objectives of the SADC protocol. Then, as planned in the center of excellence process, the municipality of Mitsinjo Betanimena was able to complete internships 01 to 10. Among the major activities undertaken was the development of a gender action plan with mention of the allocated budget. The municipality also held awareness-raising and information sessions on the objectives of the SADC.
