WFP appeals for urgent aid to assist most vulnerable

Close to 400,000 people in Madagascar are facing serious food shortages mainly due to this year's floods, drought and the recent political crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday. "Madagascar has been hit by a combination of natural disasters, political and economic upheavals that have left tens of thousands of people in need of food aid. We need donors to provide cash urgently so we can mitigate widespread hunger and suffering," WFP's Country Director Bodo Henze said in a statement. The UN food agency has appealed for US $8.4 million to purchase 18,400 mt of food aid to assist vulnerable communities over the next six months. Earlier this year, a political tussle for the island's presidency undermined the economy resulting in thousands of job losses, mainly in the country's urban centres. WFP said that while it had stepped in to assist with the aftershocks of the crisis, it would have to expand its operations to reach all those in need. As part of the expanded operations, WFP will provide supplementary food aid to 22,500 malnourished children aged under five as well as to 4,500 pregnant women in the capital Antananarivo. Additionally, 20,000 people in the eastern province of Toamasina will be assisted with the rehabilitation of damaged agricultural infrastructure. In May, thousands of hectares of farmlands was destroyed by Cyclone Kesiny. "While the immediate crisis may be over, a lot of work remains to help people regain their livelihoods they lost, and to contribute to economic recovery and to the rebuilding of rural infrastructure," Henze said. In the south of the country, WFP said it would provide relief to 33,450 households worst affected by this year's drought. Meanwhile, France has released the first instalment of a grant to help the Indian Ocean island's recovery from the economic crisis. The US $5.6 million is expected to assist with locust control and improve Madagascar's poor health sector. More details