In Numbers
672,968 beneficiaries reached with in-kind food assistance and 172,230 beneficiaries through cash transfers under WFP’s drought response in southern Madagascar
420,000 people affected by current cyclone season to be gradually reached through 3-month food and cash-based assistance
US$ 45 million required until September 2022 for the drought emergency response and US$ 17.5 million required for the cyclone emergency response
1,096,154 people assisted across all activities in February 2022
Operational Updates – Emergency Responses
Cyclone Season Overview and Response
In the span of six weeks, Madagascar has been hit by five storms and tropical cyclones (Ana, Batsirai, Dumako, Emnati, and Gombo) that have caused considerable damage, affecting more than 960,000 people. At least 470,000 people are in urgent need of food assistance in the Vatovavy, Fitovinany, and Atsimo Atsinanana regions according to the latest estimate established by the National Office of Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC). In response, WFP is gradually reaching 420,000 people who have been affected by the tropical cyclones and storms that have hit Madagascar since January. WFP’s 3-month response is providing lifesaving food and cash assistance to families whose homes were fully or partially destroyed by the storms, as well as providing evaluation, coordination, logistics and IT support to the Government and other partners.
Emergency Overview and Response
During the ongoing lean season, WFP intends to assist over 1 million people in IPC 3 and 4 through its emergency response in southern Madagascar. In February, WFP delivered life-saving assistance to 890,121 people in the southern provinces and 151,525 people on the eastern coast (cyclone response).
As part of WFP’s strategy to couple general food distributions with prevention of moderate acute malnutrition activities, 156,486 children aged 6 to 59 months and pregnant and lactating women (PLW) received nutritional supplements in February. In addition, 59,897 children aged 6 to 59 months were treated for moderate acute malnutrition.
The latest results of the national nutrition surveillance highlighted that 24 out of 202 municipalities are in a nutritional alert situation against 33 in the previous quarter. To increase people’s access to nutrition services, WFP’s prevention and treatment of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) in the districts on alert will be intensified through the improvement of the programme's coverage and the enhancement of awareness-raising actions on essential family care practices.
UN Humanitarian Air Service
In February 2022, UNHAS transported 365 passengers from 28 organisations (12 NGOs, 10 UN agencies and 4 diplomatic missions / donors and 2 Red Cross). Following the cyclones, it operated an emergency air bridge between Antananarivo and Mananjary providing rapid access for aid workers and cargo to reach the impacted areas.
A new regular flight schedule was introduced to cover the need of the humanitarian partners to move urgent relief workers and light cargo. A Mi-8 helicopter, with capacity for 19 passengers or 3 mt of cargo, was also deployed to Madagascar and started operating in February to enable access to the unreachable locations transporting urgent food and medical items.