World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

TSIVORY, Madagascar – For years, the “Hery Mitambatra” farmers association in southern Madagascar has struggled to sell its surplus maize harvest. But in 2012, the 150 members sold their grain to the World Food Programme (WFP) at a fair price, thanks to a new collaboration.

The Japanese Government has allocated US$ 2 million to purchase 2,000mt of food, which has now arrived in Madagascar and will be distributed through food-for-work activities in cyclone affected eastern and southeastern regions.  

Three months have passed since cyclones hit the eastern and the southeastern regions of Madagascar. WFP is helping  the most affected communities to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.

The National Office for Natural Disaster Preparedness (BNGRC) estimates that as many as 259,000 people were affected when Cyclone Giovanna hit Madagascar in mid-February. This is the story of one of those people and of how WFP prepared for the cyclone season. 

As a member of a farmers’ cooperative in drought-prone southern Madagascar, Armand Barijaona Ramamonjisoa sold his maize surplus to WFP, a course which improved his family’s livelihood.

Communications are an essential part of any humanitarian aid operation, but keeping the lines open can be a tough job, says telecoms specialist Mark Phillips. He and his team have recently finished setting up radio repeaters around drought-plagued Madagascar, a challenging task even under the best of conditions.

Tropical storm ‘Hubert’ struck Madagascar’s east coast on 10th March, claiming several lives and causing widespread damage. Many families were forced to flee their homes due to flooding. WFP is drawing on pre-positioned food stocks to help those affected.

Food assistance enables millions of people in southern Africa to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS, high food prices and natural disasters. But with WFP facing an unprecedented budget shortfall, many risk losing this critical support.

WFP in Madagascar has recently had to deal with a complicated political situation and a cyclone. In this short Q&A, WFP Country Director Krystyna Bednarska explains how WFP was affected by the first and how it is responding to the second.

Tens of thousands of poor, hungry children will soon start to enjoy a nutritious daily meal in class after the Government of Madagascar funded a massive expansion of a school feeding programme.