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Pages tagged "famine"


Madagascar | Facing famine, teams distribute food to 1,000 families

Posted on News by Elizabeth Johnson Sellers · September 29, 2021 9:35 AM

Over 1 million people are facing severe food insecurity in southern Madagascar following the country’s worst drought in 40 years. Humanity & Inclusion is supporting at-risk families and malnourished children.

Within a population of 2.8 million people, over half of Madagascar’s population is in need of humanitarian assistance. Women, children and people with disabilities are particularly at risk, as they are among the most affected in times of crisis. Families must strictly ration their meals and many report eating insects, cactus leaves or even leather to overcome extreme hunger. As the “lean season” approaches, and a recent locust outbreak has depleted many of the few remaining crops, the number of people at risk is expected to double if aid is not provided urgently.

Food distribution

Active in Madagascar since 1986, Humanity & Inclusion’s team is responding to the crisis, and has already reached more than 1,000 households. Staff is facilitating access to food, specifically targeting individuals with disabilities or those facing other circumstances that limit mobility or ability to work. In times of crisis, people with disabilities are among those most affected.

Since August, 1,086 households have received assistance including cash transfers, vouchers and food baskets of staple items such as rice, peas, oil and salt. These efforts will continue through September and October, with a second wave of distributions to an estimated 640 additional households from December to February. 

“Food aid is necessary, and people with disabilities are among those most vulnerable to the crisis,” says Harison Rainifara, Humanity & Inclusion’s area manager for the project. “The districts where we’re working are already classified as food security emergency zones. With the arrival of the lean season, we are just trying to prepare people to make it through.”

Preventing consequences of malnutrition

The increasingly high levels of malnutrition and undernutrition in children under the age of 5 put them at heightened risk of delaying their growth and development. In Madagascar, severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects one in four children. That number is expected to rise as the crisis worsens. SAM can lead to difficulties in developing motor skills such crawling, sitting and grasping, or to Hypotonia, a disorder that affects nerve control by the brain. If not properly managed, these developmental delays consolidate over time and become lifelong disabilities.

Humanity & Inclusion teams in the region have identified over 800 children in need of nutrition support and physical therapy to facilitate normal growth and development to prevent disability. As part of the response, local actors will be trained in early childhood stimulation therapy to enable children with SAM to maintain normal weight gain, growth patterns and cognitive development.

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Madagascar | Teams provide urgent aid amid devastating famine

Posted on News by Elizabeth Johnson Sellers · June 01, 2021 1:04 PM

More than 1 million people face starvation in Madagascar. Humanity & Inclusion is launching an aid program to support people with disabilities, families and children at risk of malnourishment.

Madagascar is experiencing its worst drought in four decades, putting more than 1.35 million people at risk of starvation and malnutrition. In southern Madagascar, particularly the Atsimo-Andrefana region, families are facing major food insecurity that threatens their lives and well-being. This is especially true for children, women and people with disabilities, who are most affected in times of crisis. 

According to the World Food Program, more than 1 million people are in a food security “crisis,” nearly 300,000 are in “urgent” need of aid, and 14,000 people have reached the final “catastrophe” phase of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The number of people in this final phase is expected to double if sufficient aid is not provided urgently. 

“The famine is everywhere, and it affects the majority of the population,” says Vincent Dalonneau, Humanity & Inclusion’s Operations Manager for Madagascar. “The death rates are high and household incomes are decreasing because people are too hungry to work. Health and social services are overloaded, children are at risk, and people with disabilities are further isolated and stigmatized.”

The potential consequences are particularly alarming for young children, as malnutrition and undernutrition can disrupt proper development and put them at a higher risk for developing both short- and long-term disabilities. Children are also likely to miss school or have difficulties learning due to symptoms of extreme hunger. Humanity & Inclusion teams have already identified approximately 800 children in need of support for malnourishment.

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Physical therapy and nutrition

Humanity & Inclusion is launching an intervention project to provide emergency food aid to people with disabilities and their families (around 5,000 people), and reduce the risk of disability in children between the ages of 0 and 5 years due to malnutrition or undernutrition. Humanity & Inclusion physical therapists will provide stimulation therapy and early physical therapy to vulnerable children, enabling them to maintain normal weight gain, growth patterns and cognitive development through functional exercises and playing. 

The project will train local physical therapists and occupational therapists in early childhood physical therapy, as well as conduct activities with community providers to raise awareness on disability development and the link between nutrition and disability. Humanity & Inclusion will support medical services linked to disability, and partner organizations plan to ensure long-term nutrition-specific support for identified children.

Families will receive food security assistance from Humanity & Inclusion in the form of food vouchers, cash transfer and food packages including standard items such as rice, peas, oil and salt.

In Malagasy, the project is called “TIALONGO: Tosika Iarahana Aby LONGO,” which translates to “Supporting all families together.” It is expected to reach at least 115,000 people.

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Image: A mother and her young child were supported after their home flooded due to tropical storms in Madagascar in 2017. Copyright: Diana Vanderheyde/HI

Injured, hungry, and relieved

Posted on News by ron smith · July 28, 2017 11:07 AM

The refugee crisis in South Sudan is one of the most alarming humanitarian situations in the world. Millions of South Sudanese are fleeing brutal violence and extensive food insecurity. Some 86% of those who seek safety in neighboring countries are women and children, including at least 75,000 children who have become separated from their families, many of whom are in poor health.

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Seeking refuge in Kakuma

Posted on News by ron smith · June 28, 2017 10:53 AM

Record numbers of people are fleeing war, drought, and famine in South Sudan and Somalia. People with disabilities or injuries are forced to take enormous risks to reach a place of safety. Handicap International is working hard to make sure that thousands of people in similar situations across East Africa receive immediate card and long-term support. Collectively, we have a responsibility to ensure that all refugees live safe, independent, and dignified lives.

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Food crisis: Reaching the most vulnerable

Posted on News by ron smith · May 16, 2017 10:28 AM

Across East Africa, hundreds of thousands of people are leaving their homes in search of food and security. With so many people on the move and in need of assistance, Handicap International is concerned that vulnerable people–pregnant women, older people, and people with disabilities–may be forgotten. Handicap International program directors in Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somaliland explain the situation in each country:

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Africa food crisis: A looming disaster

Posted on News by ron smith · May 01, 2017 11:42 AM

A severe food crisis is advancing across East Africa, Nigeria, and Yemen, with more than 20 million people at risk. Xavier Duvauchelle, Handicap International’s desk officer for the East Africa region, explains the scale of the disaster and how our teams on the ground are responding.

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Breaking the cycle of malnutrition with physical therapy

Posted on News by ron smith · April 26, 2017 10:33 AM
Pavi Mfuma, 5, who has cerebral palsy receives rehabilitation from Handicap International in the DRC.
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South Sudan: providing mobility during a food crisis

Posted on News by ron smith · April 07, 2017 9:55 AM

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Ethiopia: Water shortages destabilize region

Posted on News by ron smith · April 05, 2017 1:47 PM
Children gathered at the Bilisuma school in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.
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Famine: Preparing for the worst humanitarian crisis in 70 years

Posted on Breaking News by ron smith · March 31, 2017 2:00 PM

Twenty million people in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and northeastern Nigeria have been grappling with a serious food crisis since 2016. Several East African countries have been hit by drought in recent months, including Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, South Sudan and, to a lesser extent, Tanzania. In some countries, conflicts have caused severe food shortages. Handicap International is preparing to deal with one of the worst humanitarian crises since the Second World War.

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