Being hungry or cold is not the worst thing
An article by Mona M. published in Tribune.com on 14th October 2010
In Madagascar, the development projects are generally centered on the rural world. However, the growing urbanization starts to be a real challenge for the country. “Donors were wrong by not investing enough and now it’s a true war that we have to lead if we don’t want Antananarivo to turn into a large slum”, said Jean-Jacques Helluin, head of the Institut des Métiers de la Ville (Institute of the City’s Crafts), who spoke during the debate-conference on Wednesday, 13 October 2010. This encounter was held at the CCAC on the theme of “urban challenge and poverty challenge in Madagascar”.
To illustrate this theme of urban poverty, the NGO ATD Fourth World asked the most disadvantaged families of the capital to give their own accounts during this conference, especially the homeless people who have been evicted and displaced several times, those living in cardboard houses by the dumps and those living in the dumps of insanitary neighborhoods. Jean-Pierre R. and Lydie H. have therefore left their shacks in Lalamby, behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and moved towards Ambohidratrimo, Ankafero and Ankazobe. Many promises of reinsertion were made to them by the public authorities: their families were supposed to receive rice, land and work. But nothing proved to be long-lasting. For the families like those of Jean-Pierre or Lydie, “Being hungry or cold is not the worst thing, it’s being seen as useless to a society that is indifferent, or even savage towards those who are excluded.”
When humiliation is added to exclusion
In this precise case, for example, the president of ATD Fourth World Madagascar Anselme Razanatsimba asks himself: “Why add humiliation to exclusion? Originally, it is true that these people were occupying the land illegally. That they are being evicted is one thing, but why destroy in front of them their shacks and their personal belongings? Why disrespect their dignity?”. In order to fight against those kinds of situations, the President of the NGO made some recommendations for action, insisting on the fact that the programs should be conducted in partnership with the concerned populations, who shouldn’t be considered as passive recipients. He pleaded for going beyond prejudices and for ending the association of the people in extreme poverty with the “4 mi” according to the Malagasy mifoka (drogue), miloka (games/gambling), migoka (alcohol) and mivarotena (prostitution).
Young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods need to overcome these prejudices if they want to enter the labor market or just find an internship, even if they are benefiting from serious training programs. One young man featured in the film Computing for All in Madagascar, “I would like to tell businesses to trust us and give us our chance.” He is currently trying to be inserted in the labor market after having received training in computer technology.
