SILVER SPRING, Md.--Immediate action must be taken to prevent the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Madagascar where soaring food prices, chronic food insecurity, and a combination of flooding, drought, and civil unrest have left thousands of people highly vulnerable, said the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).
"Without immediate intervention, thousands could die," said Peter Delhove, country director for ADRA Madagascar.
A string of recent deadly natural disasters, including three cyclones that have struck since January 2009, have displaced tens of thousands of people due to heavy flooding. The most recent storm, Cyclone Jade, which made landfall on April 6, displaced more than 60,000 people. Currently, poor rainfall in parts of the country is also expected to delay the next harvest by three months, reducing its yield by 30 to 40 percent.
An ongoing governance crisis has also severely impacted the national economy, exacerbating food insecurity around this island nation and placing a strain on health, education, natural resources, and tourism. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of Madagascar's 20 million inhabitants are living below the poverty line.
"The devastating impact of the current crisis on children in Antananarivo [the capital] is becoming evident day by day," said Bruno Maes, Madagascar representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). "The crisis is now on its third month; we have seen its impact on household food security - many of the most vulnerable families simply can not provide enough food, clean water or healthcare for their children in the current circumstances."
This combination of crises has increased the need for humanitarian assistance, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in April, with an estimated 2.5 million people needing immediate aid, primarily in Madagascar's major cities, including Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Antsirabe, Toliara, Toamasina, Mahajanga, Manakara and Fianarantsoa, and in the drought-affected south, where some 880,000 people are considered vulnerable.
OCHA also reports that 310,500 children under five who are living mostly in urban areas need urgent nutritional assistance, as well as 145,000 pregnant or lactating women. The health sector also needs ongoing support to ensure the vaccination of 742,900 children and to provide reproductive health services for the same number of women.
To help ADRA respond to the needs of vulnerable people in Madagascar and around the world, please give to ADRA's Disaster and Famine Relief Offering by contacting ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or online at www.adra.org.
Since 1991 ADRA Madagascar has implemented programs in the areas of food security, child survival, and family planning.
ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.
For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Madagascar military personnel pack their belongings at the entrance of the presidential palace outside the capital Antananarivo March 18, 2009. Madagascar risked criticism from around the world on Wednesday after a ...
