The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved emergency aid to the tune of $ 686,000 to Antananarivo to deal with the combined effects of the drought and the Covid-19 pandemic in the far south of the island nation.
Financial assistance from the regional bank should be used for food assistance, which is vital for the most vulnerable groups, and support for the prevention of acute malnutrition.
It is thus planned to acquire and distribute 510.52 tonnes of rice, 195 tonnes of legumes, 78.40 tonnes of vegetable oils, 34 tonnes of super cereals and 14.24 tonnes of nutritional supplement.
Food assistance targets some 72,222 beneficiaries, or 14,444 households in total.
Each beneficiary will receive a ration for 15 days, for three months, says a statement by the financial institution shared with APA on Wednesday.
With regard to support for the prevention of acute malnutrition, it targets children aged six to 23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding women with one child under the age of six months, through a nutritional coverage strengthening program.
This support will concern 2,630 small children from six to 23 months old and 3,611 pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The purpose of the operation is to help alleviate the suffering of populations in southern Madagascar, affected by the adverse effects of the 2019-2020 drought and the coronavirus health crisis, the statement said.
The specific objective is to reduce acute food insecurity in the areas of intervention and tackle malnutrition, which strikes the vulnerable layers of the Malagasy population, the statement concluded.
ARD/cgd/fss/as/APA