One million people in Madagascar are starving, according to the UN

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 07:57 am

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), southern Madagascar is experiencing its worst drought in four decades, with more than 1.14 million people in need of food. WFP estimates that 14,000 people are currently in dire straits, with the number rising to 28,000 by October.

“We’re in the midst of the worst drought in over 40 years, and this is an area where people rely on their own agriculture; homegrown school meals, smallholder farmers, this is how they live down here, but with drought after drought, people can’t survive,” said David Beasley, WFP Executive Director.

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In Madagascar, the rate of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) among children under the age of five has nearly doubled in the last four months, reaching an alarming 16.5 percent. The district of Ambovombe is one of the most hit, with GAM rates of 27% indicating a life-threatening situation for many children.

Since June, July 2020, the number of new admissions to severe malnutrition health centers has risen dramatically. It has risen from roughly 1000 children in the ten most afflicted regions in the south to around 7000 children in March and April 2021.

As a result, the tendency is exponential According to Arduino Mangoni, WFP Madagascar’s deputy country director. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that it will need US$78.6 million to supply lifesaving food during the upcoming lean season, preventing an avoidable catastrophe.