Madagascar is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. It has left thousands of people fighting for survival as the crisis becomes worse by the day. The African island is experiencing the world’s first climate change-induced famine. It hasn’t rained in Madagascar for months, causing staple crops to be affected and leaving families with nothing to eat because of the rise in food prices. According to Hunger Hotspots Report 2021, Southern Madagascar “is expected to push 14,000 people into catastrophic acute food insecurity by September 22.” It warns that this number will double by the end of the year, with 28,000 people suffering from death and starvation. Support has been slowly coming, advocating that Madagascar is facing a huge crisis that is widely out of the public eye. 

Many aid organizations have reported that the drought has caused many families to starve. Other aid organizations say that people are resorting to eating cockroaches, leather, or even clay. One woman, Florentine, was forced to cook leather as a meal. “We’ll eat it right away because we’re so hungry,” she says. 

Sinzay, a mother of 8, told ARD (Germany’s broadcasters), “We were really helpless and like skeletons. We couldn’t even walk anymore. We would have broken down if we had just tripped over a branch.” Her family survived thanks to a food delivery. 

Famine

According to the WFP (World Food Programme), Madagascar is the only country facing a “Famine Humanitarian Catastrophe”. South Madagascar has been experiencing this drought for years and many families are suffering and starving for survival. Families have even been forced to eat leaves and locusts due to severe living conditions; and Covid 19, dirty water, and families not having enough  food is making people’s living conditions worse by the day. 

Sources:

Hunger Hotspots – Docs.wfp.org.  

“Southern Madagascar on the Brink of Famine Due to Catastrophic Drought.” YouTube, 30 July 2021, https://youtu.be/QjDmAH4iURc. 

Hunger Hotspots: FAO-WFP Early Warnings on Acute Food … https://www.fao.org/3/cb6054en/cb6054en.pdf.