Gattefossé Foundation promotes the training of
healthcare personnel in the use of Madagascan
essential oils in Madagascar
Press Release
March 21st 2017
As part of its mission to promote the use of essential oils in healthcare establishments,
Gattefossé Foundation has awarded a grant to AROVA's association (Aromatherapists of
Vakinankaratra) in Madagascar that brings together doctors educated in aromatherapy.
The €5,000 grant will be used to fund the training of medical professionals in the use of
Madagascan essential oils, as well as public and private sector paramedical personnel in
that country. With the agreement of the Madagascan Health Ministry’s Traditional Medicines
Department, 80 therapists received training in 2013, 2014, and 2015. This grant will make it
possible to train approx. 100 more.
With the Health Ministry’s approval, AROVA provides educational program in the use of locallyproduced essential oils to be used for the benefit of as many patients as possible in the country’s
healthcare establishments (community clinics, primary healthcare centres, etc.). The organisation
also supplies experienced therapists with blends of oils to use in healthcare facilities.
The training sessions take the form of practical workshops organized in small groups. They
offer a way to improve medical practices by discussing case studies and presenting essential
oils as an alternative or complementary approach to conventional medicine (in the treatment of
infectious diseases, for instance). In these practices, due consideration is given to criteria such
as the cost of treatment and the patient’s quality of life.
The essential oils used by AROVA are supplied at wholesale price by the French NGO Cœur de Forêt,
which is involved in reforestation efforts in Madagascar (100,000 trees planted from 2006 to
2014) and supports projects that benefit the local population.
Training Madagascan healthcare professionals in the use of local essential oils is at the heart
of issues relating to public health, social and economic support initiatives, and sustainable
development.
Madagascar produces over 30 different essential oils. Despite the national abundance, the
sector remains quite disorganized and all the oils produced are exported to foreign markets.
As a result, they deliver almost no benefit to the health of Malagasies themselves, nor to the
domestic economy of that country.
Moreover, studies previously conducted and published in international reviews showed it
was possible to effectively and affordably treat many common medical conditions, such as
respiratory and dermatological illnesses, and infections in general. This opens up the prospect of
using the essential oils produced in Madagascar for the good of the local population, particularly
in community clinics where the country’s poorest people go for medical treatment.
In this way, the availability of the oils, their low production cost, and their effectiveness all favour
the emergence of a strong drive towards aromatherapy, and demand among the country’s
doctors and healthcare professionals is growing as a result.
The Madagascan Health Ministry recently stated that it was in favour of expanding phytoaromatherapy throughout the country by encouraging the development of training programs.
About Gattefossé Foundation
Gattefossé company Foundation, created in 2008, operates in two areas: promoting the use of essential oils
in healthcare establishments and promoting greater human and social inclusion.
In all its undertakings, the foundation works for the general good and its activities are separate from those
of the company that created it. Aromatherapy is not currently part of Gattefossé’s business, even though
one of the company’s iconic founders, René-Maurice Gattefossé, spearheaded modern aromatherapy in
1937.
In tribute to his work, the Foundation took on the mission of promoting the use of essential oils in hospitals
and healthcare facilities as a complementary approach to improve the overall quality of treatment received
by patients.
Every year, the Foundation awards a prize to a hospital in France. It also gives out two grants to support
new aromatherapy initiatives. The recipients of these grants can be any hospital department - in France
or abroad - in need of a one-time financial contribution to continue its work or pursue growth. The
Foundation’s donation provides new projects with the financial and human resources to have a real effect
over the long term.
About AROVA association in Madagascar
AROVA's objective (the Association of Aromatherapists of Vakinankaratra) is to promote the use of
Madagascan essential oils in the Antsirabé CHRR (regional hospital of reference), and more generally
throughout the country by setting up training programs. This young association is made up of around 20
public and private sector doctors. It promotes the sharing of best practices and clinical results.
Contacts :
Gattefossé Foundation, St Priest :
Nicole Guidicelli, General Delegate - Tel: +33 6 81 91 94 99 / [email protected]
Media Relations
Claudine Blondet
[email protected]
Tel. : +33 4 26 04 19 81
www.gattefosse.com
AROVA :
In Madagascar: Dr Solonirina RAMANANJANAHARY, Chairperson
and Dr Willy Rakotomanana - Tel: +261 32 4911 689 / [email protected]
In France : Michel Pidoux, ANJOU-MADAGASCAR association - Tel: +33 7 877 119 62 / [email protected]
The Anjou-Madagascar Association in France assists AROVA in its development and with its training programs.
It also supports healthcare projects in villages throughout the Central Highlands region of Madagascar and
works in coordination with community clinics to promote the development of phyto-aromatherapy.