World Food Program: an urgent call for Madagascar

During the cyclonic season in Madagascar, the World Food Program (WFP) will need a total funding of 6, 1 million dollars to provide urgent aid in case of natural disasters like cyclones. In a statement, the U.N agency launched an urgent call to foreign backers while communicating that it couldn’t manage to gather enough foods and supplies in areas highly exposed to cyclones due to lack of financing.

According to WFP, in previous years it could gather up to 1 000 metric tons of foods and other supplies in most vulnerable regions of the country before the cyclonic season, usually in November. However this year, the agency has managed to gather and deliver only 544 metric tons, almost half of the required quantity, which allow for the feeding of 17 000 people during 10 days.

The WFP urges foreign backers to immediately provide the required funds for urgent aid of 6, 1 million dollars. At the same time, the WFP has to find during the six coming months another funds amounting to 15 million dollars that the agency needs for its other ongoing programs. One of these programs consists in providing assistance to 914 000 vulnerable people, including primary school children, old people, orphans, children from poor families, families hit by natural disasters, people suffering from undernourishment, HIV and tuberculosis.