ANTANANARIVO - Increasingly, health, the environment and climate change are interrelated and interdependent. Madagascar's 40-member Population, Health and Environment (PHE) network brings together organizations working in the fields of environmental preservation, population and health that recognize many positive benefits come from a shared, integrated approach to development.

Today we are partnering with the government of Madagascar on a new project, the “Integration of Health, Population and Environment activities in Madagascar”. The project is a USAID-funded initiative for one year (2017-2018) and is implemented by JSI Research and Training Institute Inc. (JSI) within the framework of USAID Community Capacity for Health Program or Mahefa Miaraka.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Ecology and Forests, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Population, Social Protection and the Promotion of Women and the Madagascar PHE Network, this project is based on the concept that integrated PHE programs increase community trust, support, and participation in development activities and help meet the broader needs of communities.

Finding solutions for development challenges is complex as many problems are interconnected. The PHE approach addresses this by pooling activities to increase impact and by sharing lessons learned and new, proven techniques among all partners. This new project will enhance and expand these actions by improving how critical health and environment information is collected and shared, providing government organizations and network members more complete information to make the best development choices. The project will also encourage learning between PHE network members, by identifying successful, innovative approaches and sharing and teaching those approaches to all partners.

By working together we can do more and achieve greater results. The PHE network members believe that through effective partnerships Madagascar can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals related to the fight against extreme poverty, the well-being of the population, democracy and good governance.