Speeches Shim
Over 3,000 communities in Madagascar are getting a vital tool to measure the health of newborns thanks to the USAID Mikolo Project. USAID Mikolo is distributing 3,200 scales to Fokontany in the eight regions where the project works. The scales will help community health volunteers track the growth and health of newborns. Among young children, indicators of severe acute malnutrition include very low weight-for-height/weight-for-length or a very low mid-upper arm circumference.
As the emergency in the south of Madagascar continues into the lean season between harvests, the United States government has donated an additional $2.7 million to emergency relief.
The crowd had swelled to about thirty people. All of them were young girls and mothers. Some already carried a baby in their arms. They were intently listening to the community health educator explain the different methods of family planning available at the health center.
The southern region of Madagascar has been experiencing a prolonged drought, amplified by the effects of climate change and the El Niño climate phenomenon, since 2013. The United States is especially concerned about the alarming levels of food insecurity in southern Madagascar where 900,000 people need emergency food assistance. The U.S. government is ramping up its response as needs continue to escalate during the lean season into early next year.
Our destination was remote. It took four hours of driving, through 20kms of rough terrain and bumpy roads, for our USAID team to reach Rantohely, a small fishermen’s village along the Bay of Antongil in northeastern Madagascar. Perhaps because of the physical isolation, these were a people used to managing things on their own.
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