Our contributions to access to water in Madagascar with our ORISA® water filtration equipment, services, and support

For five years now, our water filtration equipment has been deployed in Madagascar. Disasters, healthcare, and education—all these diverse contexts demonstrate the versatility and relevance of our water filtration solutions for the benefit of the most disadvantaged and disaster-stricken.

Water in Madagascar: a vital issue between health, education and climate resilience

  • Public health

    The lack of access to drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities is an aggravating factor in acute malnutrition, particularly in the regions of the Grand Sud. Water-borne diseases, such as diarrhoea, are also common and particularly affect children under the age of five.

  • Education

    The lack of drinking water and sanitation also has serious consequences for children's education. Children, especially girls, are made to do water chores, have to walk long distances in search of drinking water, and are thus deprived of school. Sick children cannot go to school to learn a trade and build their future.

  • Climate resilience

    The effects of climate change, such as increased droughts, pose a major threat to the population of Madagascar, 80% of whom depend on agriculture for their survival. The severe famine of 2021 to 2022, which followed the worst drought in four decades, has been linked to climate change by the United Nations.

A major public and humanitarian issue for the health and well-being of the Malagasy population.

In Madagascar, access to drinking water remains a major humanitarian issue. In 2022, only 22% of people had access to a water service that was managed safely according to United Nations criteria. In rural areas, people still rely heavily on unprotected sources - rivers, swamps, shallow wells - with a high risk of contamination.

In Madagascar, diarrhoeal diseases are one of the top three causes of death among young children.

In this context, home water filtration is a simple, resilient and quick solution to implement. This is the rationale behind our humanitarian projects to deploy ORISA® water purifiers, designed to meet the needs of NGOs and families in homes, schools and health centres, guaranteeing them reliable access to truly safe drinking water.

©Secretary of State to the President in charge of Food Sovereignty Tahian'Ny Avo Razanamahefa and Anthony Cailleau visit Fieferamanga, Arivonimamo district, to talk about President Andry Rajoelina's ‘Family Miarina’ project.

On Wednesday 23 April 2025, Fonto de vivo formalised a strategic partnership with Madagascar's Secretariat of State for Food Independence, represented by Ms Tahian'Ny Avo Razanamahefa. The memorandum of understanding was signed at the Orange Digital Center Madagascar - Soarano, in Antananarivo. This partnership marks a new stage in our shared commitment to strengthening food security in Madagascar, by focusing on one key area: access to quality drinking water.

ORISA®: a practical solution for healthy water

As part of the Ankohonana Miarina presidential programme, ORISA® water filters, manufactured in France and designed to operate without electricity, will be deployed in the most vulnerable Madagascan households. Thanks to their ultrafiltration technology, this equipment transforms rainwater, well water and river water into clean, safe drinking water for everyday consumption. This project will make a direct contribution to food self-sufficiency, by guaranteeing reliable access to clean water - an essential condition for public health and nutrition. Tahian'Ny Avo Razanamahefa welcomed the initiative, saying: "This cooperation is a direct response to President Andry Rajoelina's vision."

Collaboration within a strengthened diplomatic and economic framework

The signing of the agreement was part of President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). On this occasion, a delegation of French companies, led by Business France, is accompanying bilateral economic exchanges. Anthony Cailleau, Chairman of Fonto de vivo, was one of the representatives mobilised to develop sustainable cooperation in strategic sectors.

ORISA®: Our water filter deployment projects in Madagascar

Since 2021, we have deployed more than 1,100 projects for the benefit of over 5,500 beneficiaries.

Health, education, climate disasters, strategic projects.

HEALTH - MALNUTRITION

home filtration

Water self-sufficiency for vulnerable populations

In 2023, the Delfina association carried out a solidarity project in Madagascar to improve access to drinking water in vulnerable areas. Thanks to donations collected at a charity event, 30 units of ORISA® water purifiers were financed and installed. These devices were handed over to families and local structures faced with precarious sanitary conditions. Delfina's approach is one of self-reliance: by providing a simple solution tailored to the local situation, it enables beneficiaries to produce healthy water on a daily basis, without having to rely on a network or complex logistics. This project illustrates how well-targeted community action can have a real and lasting impact on the ground, in response to people's real needs.

See the deployment
EDUCATION - ACCESS TO WATER IN SCHOOLS

Improving access to quality water

In the rural commune of Morafeno, where drinking water is non-existent, families get their water from the river, which is a source of contamination. Water-borne diseases are common, particularly affecting children. To remedy the situation, 135 ORISA® water purifiers were distributed in early 2023 to families, schools and health centres as part of the MITSIRY programme run by Un Enfant par la Main. Thanks to our electricity-free water filtration systems, beneficiaries can now filter their water independently and sustainably. Support in the field has enabled us to train users and monitor the impact on health, as well as raising hygiene awareness among children.

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IMPACT ON HEALTH AND HOUSING

Domestic filtration in rural areas

From January to July 2021, a project to distribute ORISA® water purifiers was implemented in several neighbourhoods of Dzamandzar, on the island of Nosy Be. In partnership with village chiefs and the mayor's delegate, 25 ORISA® were handed out to families identified as vulnerable, as well as to a local midwife, to ensure the safety of water used in local healthcare. In this region, where access to drinking water is limited and sources are often contaminated, domestic filtration proved to be an appropriate and immediately operational response. The project has helped to reduce the risk of water-borne diseases and to improve sanitary conditions in homes and healthcare centres. The local anchoring of the project, built with the local authorities, has encouraged the beneficiaries to take ownership and laid the foundations for future deployment on a larger scale.

CONTINGENCY STOCK

Anticipating water needs in emergency situations

To strengthen the humanitarian response to natural disasters in Madagascar, the NGO Direct Relief has built up a contingency stock of ORISA® water purifiers. This stock is intended to be rapidly mobilised in emergency situations, particularly during cyclones, floods or earthquakes, which seriously disrupt access to drinking water. Compact, self-contained and powered by no electricity, the ORISA purifier is particularly well-suited to these situations. This initiative makes it possible to rapidly secure drinking water for disaster-stricken populations, prevent epidemics linked to water contamination, and support first responders in affected areas. It is part of a strategy of risk preparedness and community resilience in the face of the growing effects of climate change in the region.

  • 5 500

    beneficiaries in Madagascar

  • + 1 100

    ORISA® water purifiers deployed in Madagascar

  • 3 intervention contexts

    Health, education and the climate emergency in Madagascar

  • +8 500 beneficiaries

    in collaboration with governments

  • 25 000 ORISA®

    deployed worldwide

  • + 600,000 beneficiaries

    in 50 countries
See all deployments

Emergency filtration and sustainable projects

Committed to governments for access to drinking water

In 2021, Fonto de vivo launched a large-scale project in Colombia, in partnership with the French and Colombian governments, as part of the FASEP program (Study and Aid Fund for the Private Sector). The aim of this project was to improve access to safe drinking water for remote Indigenous communities in the Vichada department. In total, 2,430 ORISA® water purifiers were distributed to more than 8,500 beneficiaries across 300 communities, 51 schools, and 10 health centers.

The ORISA® purifiers, designed to operate without electricity, enabled communities to consume safe water, thereby reducing waterborne diseases. Comprehensive training was provided to users, including equipment maintenance and awareness of good hygiene practices. "Water guardians” were appointed in each community to ensure local and sustainable follow-up. The success of the project, recognized by local authorities and beneficiaries, led to an additional order of 760 purifiers to expand the initiative. This exemplary partnership between Fonto de vivo and the governments demonstrates the company’s ability to collaborate effectively with public institutions to address the challenges of access to safe drinking water in diverse contexts.

  • ©Colombian Ministry of Housing - ORISA® water purification demonstration on the Orinoquo river

  • {"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"©Colombian Ministry of Housing - Children from the Esperanza PAVI indigenous community benefiting from ORISA® purifiers - Puerto Carreño - Vichada - Colombia","italic":true}]}]}

  • ©Colombian Ministry of Housing - Water from the Orinoquo River purified by ORISA®.

  • FASEP project COLOMBIA (VICHADA) - TRAINING OF BENEFICIARIES

Why work with Fonto de vivo as an institutional partner?

  • ✔️ Rapid deployment and proven logistics

    Our purifiers are lightweight, portable and easy to install, even in the most isolated areas.

  • ✔️ Autonomy and sustainability

    Designed to operate without electricity or chemicals, ORISA® purifiers guarantee completely autonomous drinking water for several years.

  • ✔️ Training and skills transfer

    Each project includes support for beneficiaries, training sessions and local monitoring by ‘water guardians’.

  • ✔️ Government partnership experience

    Our collaborations with governments (FASEP project) demonstrate our ability to meet the expectations of public institutions.

  • ✔️ Solutions tailored to national water policies

    ORISA® can be integrated into local approaches to public health, education, climate resilience and emergency response.
MAKE CONTACT

"Adapting and making affordable filtration technologies for everyone's uses, to meet the social and ecological challenges of our time."

Anthony Cailleau, President and co-founder of Fonto de vivo is the dedicated contact for development aid and international cooperation.

Do you represent a public institution or ministry? Contact Anthony Cailleau, to initiate a structuring partnership.

CHAT WITH ANTHONY CAILLEAU

Expertise born of humanitarian experience

ORISA® was designed based on the field experience of former humanitarian worker David Monnier, one of the company’s original co-founders, and developed in response to a set of specifications created with input from major French and international NGOs:  Médecins sans Frontières, Croix Rouge Française, Solidarités International, Médecins du Monde, Handicap International, Terres des Hommes Lausanne, Premières Urgences.

With nearly 10 years of experience in the humanitarian field, ORISA® addresses the critical global challenge of access to water.

Our solutions provide true autonomy to communities, whether in emergency situations or within long-term humanitarian development contexts.

Our mission: To empower everyone to be resilient in the face of the water crisis.

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