Madagascar, unfortunately, is currently being wrought by one of the most tragic droughts in years. According to an article published in Reuters, the is the worst rainy season in the past 35 years for parts of Madagascar. Such lack of rain has tremendous impacts in Madagascar; people are starving, the rivers are dry, there is a lack of crops, and poverty is rampant. This most recent drought is exacerbated by El Nino, which has caused even less rainfall in the region. This has been absolutely horrific for Southern Malagasy communities which rely on harvests and crops for food as well as their livelihood.
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world; this article cites how "the country has one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the world. Virtually one in two children are stunted, and little progress has been made over the past 20 years in reducing that." This malnourishment is being exacerbated by the drought into what a senior official at USAID Dina Esposito called "a silent emergency."
There MUST be some sort of avenue for change. Recommendations include a feeding program for children in local schools, as well as more attention from the government in the south of the country on food and health care. With climate change only worsening, non-action IS a form of action itself, and will only be increasingly traumatic for people and communities in the future.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-madagascar-hunger-idUSKCN0YN5EN
No comments:
Post a Comment