A children receives treatment for malnutrition at an Action Against Hunger health centre in Madagascar.

Madagascar

75% of the population in this island nation lives on less than £1.50 a day.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Though the country’s economy benefits from ecotourism, ecological research and a growing agricultural sector, the unequal distribution of wealth has left the vast majority of Malagasies living in poverty.

The country is also extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, in particular droughts, floods and cyclones. The 2019/2020 rainy season was one of the lowest for years and led to smaller harvests than normal. Covid-19 restrictions have also disrupted supply chains and reduced household incomes – increasing the risk of malnutrition for many.

Country facts

  • 127,960

    We reached more than 125,000 people in Madagascar through our programmes in 2020.

  • 27M

    Madagascar has a population of 27 million people.

  • 41.6%

    Over 40% of Malagasy children under five suffer from malnutrition.

Action Against Hunger’s work in Madagascar

Our programmes focus on fighting undernutrition through strengthening the local healthcare system. This includes:

  • creating 14 mobile healthcare teams to fight child malnutrition in hard-to-reach areas affected by drought
  • introducing a community-led water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme aimed at improving hygiene behaviour in the Androy and Atsimo-Andrefana regions
  • disaster risk reduction programmes to help the local community in the Tuléar region respond to extreme weather events caused by climate change
  • participating in an urban cash transfer project to meet the growing needs of 15,000 households

Our country office has also set up new projects to respond to Covid-19 – training over 300 health centre staff on how to stop the spread of the virus.

A boy is screened for malnutrition at an Action Against Hunger treatment centre in Madagascar.

On the frontline of a climate-driven hunger crisis

The effects of climate change are ravaging Madagascar – a country that produces just 0.01% of global emissions. Intense heat, droughts and a lack of rainfall are having a devastating impact on the health of people living there.

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An Action Against Hunger staff member treats a child for malnutrition in Madagascar.

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