The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | WFP , WHO
Bi-Weekly Press Briefing: Madagascar Rapid Rural Transformation initiative – WFP
Madagascar: rapid transformation initiative for rural communities provides hope for future
An innovative pilot project seeking to develop climate resilience among vulnerable rural communities in southern Madagascar could be a template for future humanitarian work, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
Focusing on remote Androy and Anosy regions, the Rapid Rural Transformation WFP and partners have established solar-powered hubs, water boreholes and internet connectivity. This has given communities essential services such as energy, water, and digital platforms, in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner, the UN agency explained.
The hub, which is managed by regional authorities, allows various partners to set up integrated community services such as training centers for women and youth on food production and business skills, as well as digital classrooms, while enhancing agricultural production through solar-powered drip irrigation and hydroponics.
“We are establishing solar-powered hubs that then provide a sustainable water source. To the site that I visited we were able to sink and drill boreholes nearby, we’ve introduced ICT (information and communications technology) in these remote areas, allowing for the provision of essential services be it energy, green energy, be it water, and digital platforms to members of the community,” said Tomson Phiri, WFP Regional Communications Lead and Spokesperson for Southern Africa.
“For me, these initiatives are a game changer," added Mr. Phiri, speaking from Antananarivo to journalists in Geneva, via Zoom. "It is the golden standard of assistance to such communities: we’ve brought connectivity, we are enhancing agricultural productivity, we are going to hone people business’ skills, we are giving opportunities to people, especially women and the youth so that they can start embarking on their own enterprises.”
Madagascar is among the 10 countries most vulnerable to disasters in the world and is considered the most cyclone-exposed country in Africa. The Androy and Anosy regions are at the sharp end of the climate crisis and have high rates of chronic malnutrition among children under five. The regions are adversely affected by extreme weather events such as cyclones, storms, and droughts.
The Rapid Rural Transformation (RRT) initiative combines two climate risk mitigation strategies to assist the people: better natural resource management through enhanced agricultural techniques to assure ongoing food production and diversifying their livelihoods to withstand climate shocks.
Working with the government, the integrated services approach helps the WFP to stimulate grassroots development, while addressing rural communities’ most pressing needs. WFP's plan is to expand the initiative to other villages and regions.
“These hubs as well are providing digital classrooms for learners, I saw young people, we are nurturing dreams there, I met people, we are even sparking artisanal enterprises," said Mr. Phiri. "I saw a welder just starting to use solar energy for his own enterprise, saw a barbershop, I saw a community that is being brought together by technology.”
Approximately 2.2 million people in the southern and south-eastern regions of Madagascar are experiencing high levels of food insecurity (IPC 3 and 4 - Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) during the pre-harvest period until April 2023. WFP works with government and partners to build effective crisis response, social protection, malnutrition prevention and resilient livelihood systems through innovative actions and approaches in the south, where the population remains highly vulnerable.
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.
Ends
STORY: Madagascar Rapid Rural Transformation initiative – WFP
TRT: 2’58
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 20 January 2023
HYBRID PRESS BRIEFING
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
Geneva and Antananarivo, Madagascar (via zoom) - Shot on 20.Jan.2023
- Exterior wide shot: UN flag alley UN Geneva.
- Cutaway: Wide shot, Press room, UN Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, WFP Regional Communications Lead and Spokesperson for Southern Africa: “We are establishing solar-powered hubs that then provide a sustainable water source. To the site that I visited we were able to sink and drill boreholes nearby, we’ve introduced ICT (information and communications technology) in these remote areas, allowing for the provision of essential services be it energy, green energy, be it water, and digital platforms to members of the community.”
- Cutaway: close shot of journalists’ hands typing
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, WFP Regional Communications Lead and Spokesperson for Southern Africa: “These hubs as well are providing digital classrooms for learners, I saw young people, we are nurturing dreams there, I met people, we are even sparking artisanal enterprises. I saw a welder just starting to use solar energy for his own enterprise, saw a barbershop, I saw a community that is being brought together by technology.”
- Cutaway: medium shot of TV screen in press conference room
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Tomson Phiri, WFP Regional Communications Lead and Spokesperson for Southern Africa: “For me, these initiatives are a game changer. It is the golden standard of assistance to such communities: we’ve brought connectivity, we are enhancing agricultural productivity, we are going to hone people business’ skills, we are giving opportunities to people, especially women and the youth so that they can start embarking on their own enterprises.”
- Cutaway: medium shot journalists in the press conference room
B-Roll from WFP shot in Madagascar on 18th January 2023
Location: Anosy Region, Southern Madagascar
- (No Sound) Drone footage of solar-powered hub, which serves as the energy source for the Rapid Rural Transformation (RRT) Initiative, a project set up by WFP and partners which supplies essential services such as energy, water, and digital platforms to members of the community, in an environmentally sustainable manner.
- (No Sound) Drone footage of agricultural production by use of solar-powered drip irrigation and hydroponics.
- GVs of people collecting water at the sustainable drinking water source.
- WFP delegation visiting solar-powered hub.
- GVs of students in the digital classrooms making use of solar-powered ICT services.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Tuesday made the following remarks on the current situation in the Middle-East.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR , WFP
Schoolgirls killed, thousands displaced, aid routes compromised: UN humanitarians deplore effects of new Middle East war
On the fourth day of Israeli and United States airstrikes against Iran and amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East, the UN urgently called for protection of civilians and warned of growing displacement and humanitarian needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Well over 1.3 million people have fled Sudan’s ongoing war for South Sudan, the UN migration agency, IOM, reported on Friday, amid rising violence and a massive humanitarian emergency linked to the country’s political crisis.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC , OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday presented to the 61st Human Rights Council his global update on the human rights situation.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday presented to the UN Human Rights Council a new report on the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday briefed the Human Rights Council in Geneva on the human rights situation in Sudan: “Nearly three years of brutal conflict have almost turned Sudan into a land of despair. The report I am presenting today is yet another chapter in the chronicle of cruelty. It outlines clear, ongoing patterns of violence against civilians, including killings, rape, and torture. As the fighting has intensified, violations of international law by all parties to the conflict have surged, while accountability has remained practically absent,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday told the Human Rights Council in Geneva today: “Afghanistan is a graveyard for human rights. The cascade of edicts and laws announced by the de facto authorities since coming to power in 2021 is having a crushing impact on the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.”
3
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS , OCHA , UNHCR
Ukraine enters fifth year of war: Attacks and displacement deepen human suffering amid mounting recovery challenges
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UN officials took stock of the immense human and economic toll of the conflict while appealing to the world to “never get used to war.”
2
27
2
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | General Assembly , UNITED NATIONS
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022 shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.
1
48
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
A ceremony marking the completion of the construction of the Portail des Nations, a soon-to-open visitors centre for the UN in Geneva, was held today for diplomats from around the world who have gathered in the Swiss city for the opening session of the Human Rights Council.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his opening remarks to the 61str session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
10
1
1
Edited News | HRC , SG
In Geneva, delegates from more than 120 countries gathered on Monday to mark 20 years of the UN Human Rights Council and a shared commitment to international law, amid runaway global instability and conflict, amid runaway global instability and conflict.