ReliefWeb

Highlights

• Between January 19, 2020 till January 23, 2020, there were heavy rains in the northwestern part of Madagascar, more than twice the normal precipitation during the rainy season, resulting in floods in 13 districts.

• Besides the drought in the south, the country has faced several types of epidemics like COVID-19 in 15 regions, malaria in the southern regions, dengue in the central west.

• UNICEF Madagascar currently focuses on disaster risk reduction to build resilience, reaching vulnerable people in the drought-prone south suffering from malnutrition and lack of access to safe water in addition to reinforcing government systems in preparation for a full-fledged nation-wide response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

• The Cash Working Group has been activated to coordinate the response to the drought in the South and COVID-19. In response to the drought, WFP is the major contributor to emergency social assistance as UNICEF’s Social Protection appeal remains unfunded. For the COVID-19 response, the Cash Working Group, co-led by UNICEF, has created a new emergency social assistance programme in urban and peri-urban areas to provide much needed cash to reach over 240,000 families.

• From January to June 2020, 9,274 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were admitted and treated (86% reporting rate). This represents 58 % percent of the 2020 target.

• A total of 124,204 people gained access to safe water through water trucking and rehabilitation of boreholes through drought and floods responses.

• In education, UNICEF’s response has focussed on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and strengthening national capacity to respond to emergencies. UNICEF has assisted more than 25,000 children in immediate need and provided technical support in developing distance education programmes that can be applied to respond to other emergencies and to increase inclusiveness in development programming.

In preparation for COVID-19 response: WASH Needs assessments have been carried out in Health centres and Airports, items have been pre-positioned at 9 entry points, Infection prevention communication through posters is ongoing, and programming for cash transfers to vulnerable households to support basic consumption and compensation for loss of revenues is underway.

Funding Overview and Partnerships

To cover all potential emergencies in 2020, UNICEF Madagascar launched a US$ 7.62 million appeal to meet the humanitarian needs of children and women. As of 30 June, 12 per cent had been received from ECHO. UNICEF calls on donors to provide flexible and timely support for ongoing humanitarian responses in the sectors of health, nutrition, education, shock-responsive social protection and social policy, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene sectors (WASH), and communication for development (C4D).