World Food Program: an extra funding of 2.8 billion Ariary for 2011

The World Food Program (WFP), in collaboration with the French government, has just released an additional funding worth one million Euros (about 2.8 billion Ariary) which will be used to save 200 000 people in the South of Madagascar. The signing ceremony of the convention was held yesterday in the Akany Mangoraka, at Ivato.

This sum will be then added to the 3.64 billion Ariary of financial aids already allocated by the French government at the first half of this year. Thus, the total amount of financial aid from France is estimated at about 2.3 million Euros, which is the equivalent of 6.44 billion Ariary. These aids reflect the considerable efforts deployed by the French government to help Madagascar for this year, while its annual contribution since 2004 topped only around 1.35 million Euros.

People living in the South have suffered in recent years from different kinds natural disasters of and their living conditions still remain very fragile. Therefore, the World Food Program pays close attention to food security of the most vulnerable families. “France, which has always contributed generously in recent years to the activities of the WFP, still provides crucial support so that these poor people can recover from their past disasters. But more important than that, the aids help them to better cope with possible future disasters like droughts, famine or floods”, said yesterday, Krystina Bednarska, Resident Representative of the WFP in Madagascar.