Strengthening the collaboration between the Malagasy institutions and the Order, whose humanitarian action is deeply rooted in the country in a context of high and increasing poverty. This was the objective of the visit of the Grand Commander of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau, to the Republic of Madagascar, held from 17 to 19 November 2025.
The Order of Malta established diplomatic relations with Madagascar in 1990 and has been active in the country for decades with health and social initiatives. The flagship activity of the Order, managed by Ordre de Malte France (OMF), is the Sainte Fleur Pavilion, a maternity ward opened in 1999 within the university hospital centre of Antananarivo. Fra’ Emmanuel Rousseau went to the neonatology unit to closely observe the work of the local teams in caring for premature newborns, and to the Ambodirano Health Centre, in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Antananarivo, run by the Petites Sœurs de l’Evangile. Ordre de Malte France manages a healthcare assistance program involving 14 partner health centres to improve access to maternal and child care in the poorest areas of the country, of which the Ambodirano Health Centre is a part. A moment of deep spirituality and service, illustrative of the Order’s charisma (tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum), took place during this visit, with Mass and the distribution of meals to poor schoolchildren, in the company of the community’s sisters.
The Order also supports a care centre for leprosy sufferers in Fianarantsoa, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny.
The Order’s action focuses on maternal and child assistance and in this sense develops a program to combat obstetric fistulas. In 2024, 41 women benefited from surgical repair in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
During his stay, the Grand Commander visited the Rova Palace, accompanied by the complex’s curator. He also met with the Minister of Communication and Culture, Gascar Fenosoa Mandrindrarivony, and visited the National Archives.
