Madagascar!

You’ve probably seen one or more of the animated movies!

Located off the southeast coast of Africa, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world.  It has been the inspiration for many documentaries and films over the years and is arguably one of the most unique and interesting locations on Earth.  Madagascar is perhaps best-known for its lemurs — and for its massive baobab trees. The island is also home to the Tuléar reef, the world’s third-largest coral reef system, making Madagascar one of the top scuba diving destinations in Africa.  A few more interesting facts about the island, its people, and its culture…..

• Most of Madagascar’s wildlife is not found anywhere else on earth
• Madagascar was settled by Asians before mainland Africans
• Lemurs are sacred in Madagascar
• Before French colonial rule, Madagascar was ruled by a woman – Queen Ranavalona III, the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar, who ruled from 1883 to 1897, before being deposed by French colonial forces.

But there’s so much more to the story….

Madagascar is a low-income country with an estimated population of 26 million. The country is ranked 164 out of 189 on the Human Development Index. Almost 70 percent of the population lives on less than $1.90 US per day. Five million people are affected by recurring natural disasters, including cyclones, floods, and droughts. The rate of chronic malnutrition is 42 percent, placing it as the 10th worst country affected by stunting in the world.

Although World Renew has been active in the southern part of Madagascar since 2015, most recently, three consecutive years of severe drought in the Grand Sud of Madagascar have led to the country’s worst food crisis in the last 20 years, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of already poor populations.

The situation has been further compounded by the effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, causing market supply disruptions, rising commodity prices (rice, maize, vegetables, pesticides, fertilizers and fuel), and a general decline in income and employment opportunities. Armyworm attacks have also been reported in the Grand Sud on most crops of the previous agricultural season, resulting in significant losses for households.

World Renew’s current project, started in August of this year, targets 2,000 of the most vulnerable families in the very southern Ambovombe area, providing them every month with 50 kg of rice as well as the equivalent of about $30 Canadian for the purchase food items in the local markets.  In addition, families are being provided with 5 kg of cowpea seeds and 5 kg of sweet potato cuttings to provide vegetable production support so they will hopefully quickly be able to grow their own food.  

On November 9 we will be travelling to Madagascar for a 6 week assignment.  We are excited about this opportunity!  This is our first on field assignment since having to leave Bangladesh in March 2020 at the onset of the global COVID pandemic. 

Our first few days will be spent with World Renew’s partner in the Capital, Antananarivo, and then we will fly to Taolagnaro in the south and travel by land to the Ambovombe area where we will spend the duration of our assignment.  Although we will be assisting the partner as they continue to implement the project, the bulk of our time will be spent in collecting, analyzing, and compiling the data that is necessary to prepare a comprehensive mid-term report on this project.  Your generous donations continue to make these projects possible! 

We understand that internet access may be intermittent in the area where we will be living, so we are unsure about our ability to provide updated postings to this blog. 

As with any assignment, we embark on this one with both anticipation and concern for how things will unfold.  But we also do so with a strong conviction that God has called us to serve in this manner and will supply all our needs.

As always, we solicit and appreciate your prayer support.