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Madagascar

Madagascar: Cyclones and Floods Appeal No. 6/2000 Situation Report No. 2 (final)

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Initial Budget: CHF 4,700,000 - Revised Budget: CHF 2,100,000
The Emergency and Description of the Appeal

Cyclones Eline (mid-February, 2000) and Gloria (early-March, 2000) hit the central and northern regions of Madagascar, leaving 184,000 people in need of immediate relief support out of a total of 737,000 affected (estimates provided by the government’s National Relief Council or NRC). While the relief operation was being implemented, a third violent cyclone, Hudah, hit the north of the country on 2 and 3 April, 2000. The NRC estimated that an additional 111,000 people were in need of immediate support, out of a total of 369,000 affected by this third cyclone. One of the worst affected areas was the north-eastern town of Antalaha.

To respond to the basic needs and to provide support to the Malagasy Red Cross Society (MRCS), the Federation launched Preliminary Appeal 06/00 on 17 March 2000. This was followed by a revised appeal on 7 April 2000, intended to achieve the following objectives:

  • cover the immediate needs of 100,000 beneficiaries in the most affected regions, primarily through non-food distributions;
  • support rehabilitation activities in the most affected regions to enable the victims to resume normal life;
  • establish a basic disaster preparedness structure through the Malagasy Red Cross to prevent cholera and to mitigate the after effects of cyclones.

Even though the initial risk of epidemics was very high, particularly in the areas hit by the third cyclone, there was no immediate outbreak of disease. Given the poor economic conditions in the country, the three cyclones exacerbated already existing problems in the areas of agriculture, food stocks, health infrastructure, water and sanitation. There was also considerable ecological and environmental damage.

Objectives, Achievements and Constraints

Objective 1: To meet the urgent needs of the people in the most affected regions by providing relief items (non-food).

Achievements: More than 98,000 people in the targeted areas received the planned non-food relief items, including cholera and emergency health kits and second hand clothes (see summary tables below). Local MRCS branches identified the beneficiaries and organized the distributions, supervised by headquarters staff and supported by Federation delegates.

Place
Plastic Sheeting
Tents (units)
Chloramine (tablets)
Soap (kg)
Brickaville
2
80,000
Vatomandry
4
120,000
Manakara
Vohipeno
80,000
2,000
Antananarivo
17
80,000
2,000
Antalaha
100
Maroantsetra
28
Mananara
Andapa
40
Tuléar
120,000
2,000
Mahabo
60,000
2,000
Morondava
60,000
2,000
Total
91
100
600,000
10,000
Place
Jerrycans
Blankets
Kitchen Sets
Total Number of Beneficiaries
Brickaville
600
50
3,000
Vatomandry
900
150
4,500
Manakara
750
150
1,550
Vohipeno
3,360
2,430
490
4,500
Antananarivo
4,000
360
170
1,500
Antalaha
250
1,200
Maroantsetra
1,170
125
8,000
Mananara
1,200
100
8,000
Andapa
2,100
100
10,000
Tuléar
3,000
18,000
Mahabo
4,230
18,000
Morondava
3,770
540
108
20,100
Total
18,360
10,050
1,693
98,350

A number of kitchen sets (307) and jerrycans (1,640) have been kept in the MRC warehouses as an emergency stock. In consultation with the Ministry of Health, cholera kits and emergency health kits were delivered in the following areas:

Place
Cholera Kits
Emergency Health Kits
Tuléar
1
1
Mahabo
1
1
Morondava
1
1
Tananarivo
1
Vohipeno
1
Total
5
3

Second hand clothes were distributed by the MRC in the following locations:

Place
Second Hand Clothes
Number of beneficiaries
Number of bales sent
Number of bales distrib.
Moramanga
90
90
7,110
Anjiro
11
11
800
Brickaville
70
70
6,432
Vatomandry
80
80
6,849
Antanambao .
80
79
5,100
Mahanoro
105
104
6,792
Morondava
80
80
4,776
Mahabo
67
Stand by
-
Manakara
70
70
5,213
Vohipeno
70
70
4,905
Fianarantsoa
235
235
13,215
Antalaha
66
66
3,680
Diego (1)
80
55
4,624
Antananarivo
93
93
6,922
Tuléar
80
80
6,635
Majunga
90
90
7,050
Total
1,309
1,215
90,103

(1) In Diego, 25 bales have been kept as an emergency stock

In addition 55 bales of use clothes remain in the MRCS central warehouse in Antananarivo, maintained as emergency stock.

Constraints: The poor infrastructure in the affected regions, in combination with the insufficient operational capacity of the MRCS and the absence of a well-functioning governance and management structure, caused the operation to take longer than originally planned. Planned food distributions were canceled because the MRCS and NRC were not able to sign an agreement detailing their respective responsibilities.

Objective 2: Support cyclone and flood victims in the most affected regions with rehabilitation activities.

Achievements: Schools and Red Cross buildings were rehabilitated; school-kits and class supplies were distributed. Iron sheeting was provided for the rehabilitation of schools in Moramanga and Anjiro in the eastern province of Toamasina. Red Cross buildings were rehabilitated in Antananarivo (national headquarters, provincial branch and kindergarten), Diégo-Suarez (provincial branch, dispensary and kindergarten). The table below summarizes the scope of the rehabilitation activities.

Place
School kits*
Class supplies **
Sent
Distributed
Sent
Distributed
Moramanga
843
843
8; + 3 c artons chalk
8; + 3 cartons chalk
Anjiro
132
132
2
2
Brickaville
812
812
10
10
Vatomandry
865
865
10; + 4 cartons chalk
10; + 4 cartons chalk
Antanambao ***
795
654
10; +10 cartons chalk
10; +10 cartons chalk
Mahanoro
810
810
10; +10 cartons chalk
10;+10 cartons chalk
Morondava
945
945
10
10
Mahabo
840
Stand by
10
Stand by
Manakara
1,020
1,020
5; + 5 cartons chalk
5; + 5 cartons chalk
Vohipeno
900
900
5; + 5 cartons chalk
5; + 5 cartons chalk
Fianarantsoa
-
-
-
Antalaha
1,118
1,118
10; +13 cartons chalk
10;+13 cartons chalk
Diego
-
-
-
Antananarivo
5,571
5,571
10
10
Tuléar
-
-
-
Majunga
-
-
-
Total
14,651
13,670
100 + 50 c.chalk
90+50 c.chalk

* Depending on the age of the students, two types of school kits were distributed. Type 1 contained: 1 slate, 1 carton of chalk, 1 copybook, 1 pack of crayons, 2 notebooks, 2 pens, 2 erasures, 2 pencils, 1 pencil sharpener. Type 2 contained 4 exercise books (100 and 50 pages), 2 copy books, 4 plastic covers, 2 erasures, 2 pencils, 8 pens (black, blue, red, green), 1 ruler, protractor, square, and 1 pencil sharpener.

** School supplies were for collective use, with each set consisting of: 1 large ruler, 1 large compass, 1 large square, one large protractor, and cartons of chalk.

** In Antanambao, 141 kits went missing

Constraints: Because of logistical constraints and the lack of MRCS organization, the original plans for the rehabilitation of houses was canceled and the rehabilitation of schools and Red Cross buildings was revised and limited. A budget modification was made in order to increase the number of school-kits and class supplies. Plans for the distribution of seeds were abandoned when the Ministry of Agriculture indicated it was only interested in using available funding without the further involvement of the MRCS.

Objective 3: Establish a basic disaster preparedness structure within the Malagasy Red Cross Society, to prevent cholera and to mitigate the after effects of the cyclones.

Achievements and constraints: Due to internal management constraints, progress in the area of disaster preparedness was very limited. In the absence of a professionally organized management structure the Federation delegates spent considerable time organizing and supervising relief activities and assisting the MRCS with the preparation of its general assembly which took place in November 2000. During the general assembly, the MRC elected a new president and national committee. With most of the old structure still in place, the main priority for the new president was to restore the MRCS’s reputation by taking the basic, necessary steps to become a viable organization. The selection of a new Secretary General (planned for March 2001) will provide an opportunity to set-up a professional management structure within the MRCS.

With the unspent balance (see attached financial report) the Federation plans to support disaster response and good governance and management training as part of a larger institutional and branch development programme. Details of the programme will be shared with those donors whose funds remained unspent during 2000.

Conclusion

The operation received effective media coverage which assisted with the overall support to the appeal. While the relief part of the operation was a relative success the internal MRCS problems affected the rehabilitation and disaster preparedness plans. A follow up programme in the field of branch and institutional development is being discussed with the MRCS. Success in this area will depend on the willingness of the MRCS to adopt effective management practices and to develop a credible governance structure.

Bekele Geleta
Head
Africa Department

Peter Rees-Gildea
Head a.i.
Relationship Management Department

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