Tearfund is funding disaster relief work in Madagascar in the aftermath of Cyclone Ivan which left nearly 100 people dead and 200,000 homeless.
Torrential rain and winds of up to 140mph last month badly damaged the infrastructure of the Indian Ocean island which has a population of nearly 20 million.
The storm was one of the worst to hit Madagascar and has prompted Tearfund to begin relief work with the local church.
Our partner, the Association of Bible Baptist churches of Madagascar (FFBBM), has considerable experience running development programmes in and around Mandritsara which is in the Sofia region.
It is responding to the cyclone by providing emergency food supplies in 19 villages in this area after the loss of crops and stored food supplies.
Information gathered by FFBBM in its area of work shows that 265 tonnes of rice and 25 tonnes of maize, groundnuts, cassava, bananas and sugar cane have been destroyed.
Hazard
Ivan’s destructive legacy also included schools with 31 classrooms damaged and as a result 2,800 children unable to attend.
The FFBBM is looking to fund repair work to ensure as little disruption to education as possible.
Similarly it is looking to buy materials such as wood and thatching grass for repairs and reconstruction of houses.
‘Cyclones have always been a hazard for Madagascar’, says Tearfund’s Desk Officer, Nick Burn, ‘But the fear is that with global warming and rising sea temperatures, they are becoming more destructive.’
Looking further ahead, Tearfund and FFBBM will be trying to learn lessons from the cyclone to help communities to reduce the impact and be better prepared to withstand future storms.
In addition to a hospital in Mandritsara, the FFBBM has been running a preventative health care programme for remote village communities.
This has resulted in a significant decline in child and maternal mortality through vaccination, maternal health services, improved nutrition, water supply and hygiene education.