In Numbers
162 mt food distributed in August 2020 for 30,706 people in the southern regions
US$ 29 million emergency net funding requirements for the drought and COVID-19 responses (September 2020 – August 2021)
73,249 people registered for urban cash assistance in August 2020 as part of the COVID-19 response
Operational Update
COVID-19 update: As of 30 August, the COVID-19 report indicated 13,832 cases and 192 deaths. On 6 September, following the decrease of the reported cases, the President announced the progressive return to normal life in the Antananarivo region, following the decrease of the reported COVID-19 cases. However, the health emergency is maintained in Madagascar.
Urban cash assistance: In support to the national social protection strategy, WFP is providing cash assistance to 84,000 poor urban households (nearly 420,000 people) economically affected by the lockdown measures. WFP assistance is implemented under the leadership of the Ministry of the Population, Social Protection and Promotion of Women, and the National Office for Risks and Disasters Management. This work is done with funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and WFP and is implemented in collaboration with the cash working group.
Support to vulnerable children: Since July 2020, WFP, in support to the Ministry of Population and in collaboration with the NGO SOS Village d’Enfants, has been assisting 10,000 orphans and vulnerable children in social centres in the capital Antananarivo and Tamatave, in the east of the country.
Food security and drought update: Findings from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) of April 2020 estimates that nearly 554,000 people in the drought-affected southern regions of Madagascar face acute food insecurity and need urgent food assistance. This is due to the lack of rain that affected the harvest as well as the impact of COVID-19 on livelihood s and market disruptions. The most severely affected districts are Ampanihy and Bekily where people have not been able to plant or harvest, water is scarce and market prices are on the rise. Without support, the population is at risk of falling into Emergency (IPC phase 4).
WFP emergency response: Based on lessons learnt from the 2019-2020 lean season responses, WFP is developing its drought response strategy targeting 300,000 people out of the 554,000 in need of assistance. Emergency assistance will start in October 2020 in the 11 districts in IPC 3 (crisis phase) and IPC 4 (emergency phase) in the south and south-east of the country.
Emergency food assistance, through unconditional cash and in-kind transfers, will be combined with nutritional support for the prevention of acute malnutrition. The lean season response is funded by ECHO,
Germany, and USAID.
WFP supports malnourished tuberculosis patients who receive treatment in diagnosis and treatment centers in the south. Cash transfer for patients and their family will start in September for five months as a safety net during the lean season.
School-feeding programme: WFP targets 200,000 primary school children in 800 schools in the southern regions. This includes 12,000 beneficiaries assisted under cash-based transfers. In case the schools remain closed due to COVID-19,
WFP will distribute take-home rations.
Nutrition Stunting prevention: WFP implements a stunting prevention approach called ‘’Miaro’’ in the districts of Amboasary and Ampanihy, targeting more than 45,000 pregnant and lactating women and children under two.
Resilience Purchase for Progress (P4P): WFP contributes in improving smallholder farmers’ access to market by helping to improve the quality of their production and purchasing their surplus of production. WFP’s objective in Madagascar is to procure 4,000 tons of food commodities locally either from farmers organizations or local suppliers.
Food assistance for assets (FFA): WFP reinforces community resilience through FFA activities in three communes in southern and south-eastern Madagascar (Faux-cap, Vohilava and Fotadrevo). Nearly 2,245 representatives (representing nearly 11,000 people) participate in activities such as reforestation, community gardens, dunes protection or rehabilitation of agricultural areas and receive food assistance from WFP.