Attachments
Highlights
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Madagascar’s southern regions continue to endure the effects of a prolonged drought, aggravated by the effects of El Niño.
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In January, despite operational challenges and access issues related to poor road conditions, WFP continued its drought emergency response to meet the increasing needs of disaster-affected communities through food and cash-based unconditional assistance and nutrition support.
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While the southern regions experienced rainfall in December and January, prospects for harvesting sufficient crops during the next season remain uncertain. Therefore, WFP plans to extend its emergency response in the south until the end of April 2017.
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WFP is facing a shortfall for its ongoing emergency response. Funding requirements for the period March to June 2017 stand at 15.9 million.
Operational Updates
WFP Response to the Drought in the South: In January 2017, 518,313 people from the seven most severely affected districts received unconditional support from WFP through a combination of food and cash-based assistance.
Given the deteriorated nutritional status of affected populations, nutrition support (treatment and prevention of moderate acute malnutrition - MAM) was provided to 32,367 children under five years of age and pregnant and breastfeeding women as part of the MAM treatment component, and 12,710 children under 2 years of age under the preventive component.
In January, 192,759 children from 1,066 schools in the southern areas received school meals, despite delays encountered in food deliveries due to operational challenges. In February, WFP aims to continue its assistance to disaster-affected populations in form of unconditional food distributions (food and cash), nutrition support (treatment and prevention of MAM), school meals and protection rations provided to the families of children who are enrolled in the MAM treatment programme.