Check out the latest guest blog by Ailie Tam, winner of the Vodafone: World Of Difference award for her work with non profit Azafady in Madagascar. In this blog Ailie talks about the cultural drivers that lead to population growth and migration, and how they affect HIV/AIDS rates in Madagascar.

One  week to go and my luggage seems to be expanding. As well as a huge pile of children’s toys and clothes that were kindly donated, I have also been given a stock of Jungle Formula mosquito repellent and several bottles of factor 30 sun cream, both essentials for living in the tropics. With the days disappearing I am trying to get round friends and family to do farewell goodbyes.

This week I wanted to write about population growth and migration, to dispel a common perspective I have come across in the West and show this risk of an HIV epidemic in the south east of Madagascar. I have heard people say on several occasions, if people can’t afford to feed themselves why would they have lots of children? I only really started to understand the answer to this question and the complexity of this topic in January this year whilst on a photography expedition with Ed Kashi across the south east coast of Madagascar.

The south coast of Madagascar is an arid stretch of land with few shady trees, red dusty soil and a landscape of cacti which is why it’s named the Spiny Forest.  Parts of the coast could be mistaken for the outback in Australia, barren and vast in appearance.

Photo: Edkashi.com

The local Androuy tribe have adapted to these harsh conditions and live simply in self-managing, tight-knit communities. Over the last few years as a result of climate change, deforestation and the development of sisal plantations, conditions have become too challenging even for the local people. Long periods of drought, diverted rivers for the plantations and increased coastal winds have caused desertification of fertile arable land.

The failure of crops has caused severe problems of malnutrition and increased rates of infant mortality to as high as 1/3. This provoked Azafady two years ago to initiate a food distribution programme across 86 villages focusing on mothers and children under 5.

In one village I visited over a third of the community were under the age of 5, of which a large proportion were demonstrating the effects of chronic malnutrition. With such high rates of infant mortality the local population counteract this risk by having lots of children. The more children means more people to bring in food and resources for the family. With no state support or pension schemes, elderly people rely on relatives, particularly their children as their form of social security. (Using the word elderly seems odd in this context as the average life expectancy is 57).

Big families also gain respect as Malagasy tradition states that it is extremely lucky to have 14 children; 7 boys and 7 girls and this luck is wished to newlyweds at their wedding ceremony. In the Androuy tribe polygamist relationships are also accepted, which can potentially increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) being spread around a community. Lots of unprotected sex, with several partners from as young as 12, with no testing facilities and a lack of knowledge around sexual health means this community is extremely vulnerable to the damaging effects of STDs and HIV.

As populations increase and resources decrease, people migrate to bigger towns in search for jobs to support their family. Fort Dauphin where I work is perfect example of this, as the population has exploded in the last 20 years. The development of an ilmenite mine and bursts of tourism represent unsubstantiated opportunities which entice people from miles around. With poor infrastructure the town struggles under the weight of the regular stream of migrants and the risk of diseases being sexually transmitted increases.

This trip certainly helped me understand the complexity of population growth and it’s interconnection to other social problems and the risks of HIV. As always it is vital to understand the culture and the environment to be able to fully comprehend the problems in other countries.

What did you think of this post? Ailie talks about the relationship between culture, environment and HIV rates in Madagascar – to what extent do you feel that this rings true in your area? In what way do you feel your environment and the culture are relative to HIV rates and response in your area?

Like what you read? If you would like to read some of Ailie’s previous articles check out the links below:

Azafady: Looking To the Future

Help Azafady

Azafady – The Final Hurdle

A Tremendous Success For Azafady

Azafady: A Background To Madagascar

Poverty in Madagascar