Madagascar

Funding appeals and humanitarian action updates

Madagascar has been in a state of political unrest since mid January 2009, due to a protracted conflict between President Marc Rayalomanana and the capital city, Antanarivo's (now ex) Mayor and opposition leader, Andry Rajoelina. The main urban popluation currently affected by the political crisis is estimated to be 2.1 million people. With the onset of the political unrest, many children and women are without sufficient medical services or support to maintain their often already fragile health and nutrition conditions. As a result of the severe lack of rain in the last quarter of 2008 and beginning of 2009 in the South of Madagascar, morbidity and mortality are likely to increase as the nutrition status of women and children deteriorates. In addition, Clyclone Eric and Fanele, which both hit Madagascar in January 2009, injured and killed dozens of people and damaged infrastructure like schools. UNICEF provides assistance to women and children affected by the political crisis, the drought and cyclones in the areas of health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygine, education and child protection. UNICEF Madagascar is in urgent need of US$ 11.9 million in order to respond to the increased needs of women and children.
Madagascare Immediate Needs 5 March 2009

Madagascar is continuously afflicted by natural disasters, primarily cyclones, flooding, drought and insect infestations; together they cause additional hardship for an already vulnerable population where more that 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
As in any disaster, children and women suffer most. Vulnerable to cold and hunger, trauma and stress, women and children in poverty-stricken areas required immediate assistance. The cyclone caused massive and lasting disruption in areas that were both poor and remote. In order that the most vulnerable people in Madagascar retained the means or the building blocks from which they could sustain their livelihoods, it was critical that early recovery actions by government and its partners, including UNICEF, were implemented to reduce the effects of these sudden shocks. This humanitarian action update provides an overview of UNICEF emergency actions and early recovery activities.
Madagascar Humanitarian Action Update 9 Jun 2008 [pdf]

Category 3 Cyclone ‘Ivan’ hit the mainland of Madagascar at 09.00 (local time) on 17th February 2008 with winds of up to 230 km per hour, having passed over the Malagasy island of Ile Sainte Marie. It then wreaked havoc as it continued its path southwest through many of the most populated parts of the country, including the area surrounding Lake Alaotra, responsible for almost a third of Madagascar’s rice production. Damage is widespread; assessments are ongoing but air assessments have been hindered by the heavy winds and land-based assessments by flooded roads and submerged bridges. Meanwhile, emergency assessments and response are also continuing for the impacts of Tropical cyclone ‘Fame’, which passed through Madagascar between the 27th and 28th of January 2008, affecting at least 9,447 people and leaving 2,792 without shelter.
UNICEF and its partners, including sister UN agencies and international and national non-governmental organisations and civil society, are working closely through a cluster-configured approach to support the Government of Madagascar to respond swiftly and effectively to the crisis. To finance these efforts, the United Nations will soon launch of a joint appeal and UNICEF will be part of the joint appeal process. In the meantime, UNICEF has reprogrammed US $200,000 of its Regular Resources budget after consultation with the government, to finance rapid assessments and has been distributing its pre-positioned stocks for 30,000 displaced people. UNICEF is requesting an initial US$ 4.8 million to meet the immediate and medium-term needs of children and women throughout the affected areas.
Madagascar Immediate Needs Document 26 Feb 2008 [pdf]

Since December 2006, Madagascar has been hit by five cyclones, the worst series of cyclones in many years, causing deaths, severe flooding, property and agricultural destruction and population displacement. As a result, an estimated 450,000 people, a large proportion of them children and women, are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. A sixth cyclone, Jaya, which hit the country on 3 April 2007, is threatening to cause further severe damage and human suffering. The cyclones have caused damage to infrastructure such as roads and schools and have limited access to health services. There have also been reports of significant food stock losses, with up to 90 per cent of food crops destroyed in some areas, raising serious threats to increased food insecurity and malnutrition among children in the coming months.
UNICEF urgently requires US$ 3.9 million to respond to the needs of children and women.
Madagascar Donor Update 3 April 2007 [pdf]

In the last few months, the “El Nino” phenomenon, blamed for severe flooding that affected much of the Horn in late 2006, has extended its impact across Southern Africa. Resultant flooding has coincided with the cyclone season (December-April) in which, thus far, Madagascar and Mozambique have been seriously affected while riverine communities in Zambia have experienced localized displacement. Significant damage to infrastructure has been assessed, especially in Mozambique including schools, health facilities, roads and food stores. Both the cyclone and rainy seasons are projected to extend into April, entailing further possible hardship for children and families in South-Eastern Africa.
An almost unprecedented number of countries in the region are now also reporting acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) or cholera cases, several of which have been in sustained crisis for many months. UNICEF offices in South-Eastern Africa are now responding to meet the acute humanitarian needs that both exacerbate chronic vulnerabilities and complicate efforts towards the broader progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
UNICEF urgently requires US$9.1 million to respond to the needs of children and women affected.
East and Southern Africa Regional Donor Update 30 march 2007 [pdf]