Learning from the Extreme Poor: Participatory Approaches to Fostering Child Health in Madagascar

Very poor people are often considered ignorant and even incapable of thinking, because they have had no opportunity to gain skill in expression through education. The experience of contempt and exclusion is deep among the poorest, whether they live in rich or poor countries, and it often prevents them from participating in social programs. This note provides a summary of a study on access to health care conducted by the International Movement ATD Fourth World in Madagascar, with the aim to outline the organization's approach to reaching the very poor and building projects in close partnership with them.