URGENT APPEAL FOR FUNDS AFTER CYCLONE HITS MADAGASCAR

Thousands of homes have been destroyed in the flood waters

This January, Tropical Cyclone Chedza has brought death, destruction and misery to Madagascar, hitting the island with a lethal combination of high winds and heavy rain. As the rains lashed down, rivers burst their banks and vast areas of the country were left under water. Saturated soils gave way to landslides. Schools, homes, roads, and bridges were washed away. The death toll is currently 63, but 130,000 people have been displaced, their villages damaged or destroyed and their crops ruined by the flood waters.

There has been severe flooding in most of the country, the worst affected regions being, Menabe, Melaky, Boeny, Mahajanga, Analamanga and the south eastern part of the Island. Significant flooding in the capital, Tana, is giving rise to serious sanitation problems with raw sewerage flowing through water filled homes.

It takes weeks for the flood waters to recede leaving thousands homeless and hungry

Even in a wealthy country like ours, where most people have home insurance and there is government support, we have witnessed the havoc that can be wreaked by flooding. In a country like Madagascar, where most people are living on less than $2 per day and relying on their own produce for survival, there is no safety net for those who lose their homes and crops.

Several of MfM’s Malagasy partner NGOs have written appealing for urgent funds to meet the immediate needs of those most affected by the cyclone, over the next three months. Many of the communities and groups that we work with have been seriously affected by the cyclone. With your support we can help some of the thousands of homeless and hungry who need food and shelter, as well as, basic health care and sanitation, whilst they contemplate rebuilding their lives. We can contribute to practical actions such as, clearing roads and evacuating dangerous areas. Once the waters have subsided we can supply the seeds that will be needed so that people can replant their crops. However, all this work requires extra finance.

MfM has a strong history of responding to our Malagasy communities in times of emergency. We always provide support based on the needs identified by our partners on the ground. Although the work we support emphasises long term goals, such as disaster resilience, in a crisis, immediate needs must be met. A child can be provided a nutritious hot meal for as little as 5 pence per day! Whatever we are able to give will make a real difference to people’s lives. By responding to their immediate needs, we are giving them the capacity to begin on the road to long term resilience.

Please donate whatever you can today! Thank you!

Either use the link below to just giving:

https://www.justgiving.com/Tabitha-Middleton/

or visit our website:

http://moneyformadagascar.org/english/make-a-donation.asp

Flooding in Madagascar caused by Tropical Storm Chedza

                

People and rice fields near Tana affected by Cyclone Chedza

Irenee Rajaona-Horne, MfM’s Development Officer and Ian Williams CEO of Caplor Horizons have just returned from a short trip to Madagascar to develop MfM’s ‘education for life programme’. Whilst there they witnessed the devastation caused by tropical storm Chedza that has brought with it heavy rains and lashing winds. The severe storm hit landfall on the 16^th of January 2015 and has so far left 51 people dead and affected more than 120,000 people. Many of these people have been left homeless, with little access to food supplies, shelter and safe drinking water. As you can see from the pictures, rice fields have been severely affected by the flooding. Apart from this threat to livelihoods, the danger of water-borne diseases such as Cholera and Typhoid is on the rise, especially in urban areas where low-lying dwellings are now awash with raw sewerage. Our partners across Madagascar are ready to help those in most acute need. We are hoping to send funds out to alleviate immediate needs (food and medical supplies) and also help with medium to long term solutions (for example through provision of seeds for planting new crops).  

If you would like to make a contribution to the MfM cyclone relief appeal, please click on the following link:

http://www.moneyformadagascar.org/english/make-a-donation.asp