Madagascar: Des emplois plutôt que l'exil - un appel aux entreprises à Madagascar

ESPOIR offers climate‑affected women in Southern Madagascar pathways out of exploitation by equipping them with practical skills, personal development and employment opportunities, reducing risky migration and strengthening their social and economic resilience.

ESPOIR, created by the feminist collective Alternatives Madagascar, responds to the urgent reality of climate‑related migration among women in the South of Madagascar. Faced with drought, hunger and a lack of economic opportunity, many women were forced to leave their rural communities for cities, where they encountered exploitation, poverty, depression, trafficking and survival sex. Without support structures, many felt trapped.

The ESPOIR project provides women with technical and professional skills, including leadership, personal development, sexual and reproductive health, and GBV prevention. Training in professions traditionally reserved for men – such as mechanics, electricity, plumbing and metalwork – opened new employment paths. Women gained confidence, autonomy and the ability to integrate into the job market.

The change began through targeted modules designed by eight young feminist leaders from Alternatives Madagascar. These facilitators ensured that content reflected participants’ realities and market needs. Partners from the private sector expressed interest in recruiting trained women, reinforcing real job prospects.

Before ESPOIR, many women survived on roots and waste, struggled to feed their children and faced dangerous journeys to seek work. Some were forced into exploitative arrangements or survival sex. Since 2020, the project has provided grounding, support and opportunities. Some women have secured contracts in other cities, gaining income stability and dignity.

The impact of ESPOIR is transformative. It demonstrates how targeted skills training, combined with personal development and labour‑market connections, can shift women from vulnerability to resilience. It shows that women can excel in male‑dominated sectors when given access and support.

The project strengthens feminist advocacy, increases private‑sector engagement and offers a scalable model for climate‑migration responses. ESPOIR’s sustainability plan includes creating the ESPOIR Workshop – a dedicated training centre – and a recruitment platform linking skilled women with companies nationwide. This system will help ensure lasting change and expand opportunities for women in extreme precarity.

Quotes: 

Soanala - Avant ESPOIR, je ne savais pas comment nourrir mes enfants correctement...

Pierline - Le programme ESPOIR m’a permis d’apprendre l’électricité...

Sandra - Grâce aux formations et à l’accompagnement d’ESPOIR, j’ai acquis des compétences en plomberie...