Madagascar the Country That's Poor but Not Poor Enough for Aid

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Madagascar: the country that's poor but notpoor enough for aid

With no terrorism or geo-strategic importance,the island nation slips off lists of global causes

despite widespread hunger and harsh impact

of climate change

Lahie and Njomasy, with the children - Vorito, Lovasoa, Fanampesoa and Rasoa who gained notoriety on

Facebook because o photos o their malnourished bodies! "hotograph# $hiraa% &ohamed

David Smithin Ambovombe-$unday ' November ()'*

$he had never heard o Facebook, so when shocking

photos o her emaciated children and grandchildren were posted there,

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Njomasy could little guess the ripples o angerthey would send all the way

to the president! +he amilys plight brought rare public attention to the

silent killer. o child malnutrition!

Nearly '!/ million people in southern &adagascar do not have a secure oodsupply with 0*),))) acing severe shortages, according to government and

1N 2gures published recently!! +his ollows three successive poor harvests

hit by drought!

3ne o the worst a4ected areas is the 5mbovombe district, where ew

places eel as remote, dry, hot and dustblown as the village o $atrie! +here

Njomasy and her husband, Lahie they are known by single names and

uncertain o their ages are among '( people crammed into a small house

ashioned rom tree branches and dry grass! +heir twin sons, three-year-old

Fanampesoa and Vorito, and their grandchildren, Rasoa, 2ve, and two-year-

old Lovasoa, achieved notoriety in&adagascarin &arch when photos

showing them severely malnourished were uploaded to Facebook and went

viral!

"ic

tures o emaciated Vorito, Lovasoa, Fanampesoa and Rasoa published on Facebook earlier this year!

"hotograph# 6ohn $trauss 7otovaorivelo

5mid wild rumours that hundreds o children had starved to death, they

came to the attention o "resident 8ery Rajaonarimampianina, who then

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visited the region bearing rice and cash! 9 noticed they were very tired and

one was unconscious,. Njomasy, wearing a pink t-shirt, :oral pattern skirt

and no shoes, told the ;uardian during a media visit organised by the 1N

childrens agency 1nice!

9 thought they might die! 9 took them immediately to the health clinic and

they e

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only stuntstheir growth and increases their risk o obesity but can also

impede brain development, causing irreversible harm to memory, learning

ability and 9B!

$tunting reduces school perormance, e@uivalent to two or three lost years

o education, and diminishes earning power, 1nice says, while a stunted

girl is more likely to give birth to an undernourished baby! Cut only '(A o

malnourished children have access to treatment! D

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malnourished as children are not here any more maybe theyre dead!.

+here is an air o impotence in &osas scu4ed, tired-looking oGce in the

ace o a drought cycle going back decades and little support rom central

government! =e have spent money on di4erent solutions,. he admitted! 9

still cannot see what the solution would be! 9m a ather and 9 eel sympathy

or these children but 9 have no means and there is nothing 9 can do e

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hildren are tired and very prone to contracting diseases! 9t may impact on

the school perormance o the kids! 9nstead o ocusing on learning, they

are too worried about what theyre going to eat in the evening! 9 it doesnt

rain, 9m worried about the health and survival o the kids!.

5t the nearest clinic in 5mboasary, a tape measure was wound around the

arm o nine-month-old 6immy Lambo, who was then dropped into a blue

sling hanging rom a scale on a bare wood rame! +he results were

worrying! 8is mid-upper-arm circumerence was ound to be ''0mm J0!*inM,

his weight !(kg J'?!lbsM and his height *cm J(t 'inM!

5 woman sits with her sheep along the 5ndriantany waste water channel in 5ntananarivo! "hotograph#

+homas &ukoyaEReuters

&edical worker Ceatrice Ra%anama%ava, wearing white coat and rubber

gloves, said# 5ll the parameters have stabilised since last week! 9ts not

good news because they should have increased! +heres been a small lossin the arm circumerence! 8es severely malnourished!.

6immy was believed to have lost weight because o complications including

a respiratory inection! 8is mother, 6ulia Vaha, '/, a single mother whose

other son is also receiving treatment or malnutrition, said# 9 saw he was ill

about a month ago! 8e was getting weaker and his arms were getting

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thinner! 8e had bad diarrhoea and vomiting so 9 was rightened! =e dont

have enough to eat at home and 9 dont have enough milk!.

+he clinic has treated ()/ malnourished children in the past year, up rom

'() the year beore, and is supported by 1nice, which last year screened

more than a million children or acute malnutrition in &adagascar and

reerred ,))) cases or treatment! Ra%anama%ava said# 9ts very tough

work! 9 need a lot o patience to do the job!.

astor oil helps 2ght against poverty in &adagascar

Oet &adagascar rarely eatures on anyones list o urgent global causes! 9ts

@uiet desperation alls into that orgotten category o poor-but not-@uite-

poor-enough, perpetually hovering just above the red %one that triggers a

glut o aid, N;3s and cameras! 9t cannot claim the -word or amine, only

severe ood insecurity and, as an island o little strategic importance on the

world stage, it remains better known or its lemurs!

+he government remains undamentally unstable and 2nancially broke the

economy was ranked the worst on the planet by Forbes maga%ine in ()''!

+he outside world is amiliar with &adagascar rom animated 2lmsand

nature documentaries but knows little o its population or their poverty! 5s

the ourth biggest island in the world, it lies ?)) miles o4 the coast o

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mainland 5rica and does not threaten its borders with reugees!

Dlke =isch, 1nices country representative, said# =e have a lot o other

countries where or children the situation is not good but or some reason

those countries get more attention than &adagascar! +his is an island!

+here is no terrorism! +here are no geopolitical interests! =e are very much

o4 the map! +here is a need or an urgent priority list but &adagascar will

probably never attract donor aid like &alawi or +an%ania or 1ganda!.

Posted by Thavam