Launching SEED's largest project to-date...

SEED Madagascar (SEED) is excited to announce the launch of Project Miatrika, a three-year project in partnership with Humedica , supported by the German Federal Foreign Office .?Project Miatrika, which means ‘resilience’ in Malagasy, aims to improve the health status of children aged 6-59 months by contributing to the reduction of acute malnutrition, strengthening health service delivery, and building long-term resilience across 20 villages in the Anosy region.?

The Anosy region, located in southeastern Madagascar, has faced four consecutive years of failed rains and, subsequently, the country’s most severe drought in 40 years. A food insecurity crisis ensued in 2021, with its effects being amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic, cyclones, and rising global food prices.(1) (2) Over one million people across southern Madagascar are currently experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.(3)? The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a multi-partner initiative for improving food security and nutrition analysis, projects that 458,660 children across the south will require treatment for acute malnutrition between June 2023 and April 2024.(4)

In 2021, SEED launched a two-year Emergency Food Distribution project to respond to these challenges. Supported by Humedica , SEED worked closely with Madagascar’s National Ministry of Health and Regional Nutrition Cluster to provide emergency food relief and improve the health and resilience of 18 communities in Anosy. Two years later, SEED is building off the successes and learnings of this project as it implements Project Miatrika, SEED’s largest project to-date. With the support of Humedica and the German Federal Foreign Office , SEED will continue to provide emergency food relief, facilitating the recovery of children with malnutrition, while simultaneously prioritising the resilience of families in Anosy and communities to resist the shocks of future food insecurity.??

Working alongside the National Ministry of Health, the Regional Nutrition Cluster, and community health centres, SEED will:?

• Distribute Ready-to-Use-Supplementary-Food (RUSF) to 12,000 children aged 6-59 months with moderate acute malnutrition to ensure their immediate health needs are met?
• Further support children with acute malnutrition and their families through the distribution of rice, beans, and oil to reach 15,994 individuals across 5,880 households
• Train 12,000 mothers and caregivers to identify child malnutrition through at-home screening and self-referral systems
• Conduct training workshops for 272 community health workers to detect, screen, identify, and refer children with acute malnutrition for treatment??
• Conduct training workshops for medical staff across 22 community health centres on childhood malnutrition and associated health conditions
• Promote positive social behaviour change that reduces susceptibility to malnutrition through five, six-month courses, to reach a total of 24,750 caregivers of children aged 6-59 months, and pregnant and lactating women
• Engage in malnutrition prevention measures including distribution of micronutrient supplements to 24,000 children aged 6-24 months and procurement of deworming medication for up to 18,000 children aged 6-59 months?
• Facilitate sharing of up-to-date, local coping mechanisms to combat malnutrition through creation of nine community care groups

Through these measures, Project Miatrika seeks to go beyond a traditional emergency response by undertaking a holistic approach to combat the effects of regional food insecurity.? Project Miatrika will build the resilience of 20 villages to recover and resist the impacts of future crises and shocks.

References

1 Alexandra Nizet, “Madagascar: A Humanitarian Emergency Driven by the Climate Crisis,” Doctors of the World, May 2, 2023,?https://doctorsoftheworld.org/blog/madagascar-climate-crisis/ .

2 ?United Nations University , “From Drought to Hunger: 5 Facts on Southern Madagascar’s Food Insecurity - Institute for Environment and Human Security,” ehs.unu.edu , November 23, 2022,?https://ehs.unu.edu/news/news/from-drought-to-hunger-5-facts-on-southern-madagascars-food-insecurity.html .

3 “Madagascar: Acute Food Insecurity Situation for July - September 2023 and Projections for October - December 2023 and January - April 2024?| IPC - Integrated Food Security Phase Classification,” IPC, accessed October 9, 2023,?https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1156532/?iso3=MDG .

4 “Madagascar (Grand Sud & Grand Sud-Est): Food Security & Nutrition Snapshot” IPC - Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, August 22, 2023,?https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1156532/?iso3=MDG .