Edited News | WFP , WHO
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
B-Roll from WFP shot in Madagascar on 18th January 2023
Location: Anosy Region, Southern Madagascar
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the United Nations bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights made the following comments on the recent violence in Kenya.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
US tariffs uncertainty hurts world economy, with poorest countries hit hardest – top UN economist
A new US decision to further delay the end of a 90-day pause on tariffs is bad for business, a top UN economist said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Gaza aid site horror continues as more starving people shot trying to get food
Amid intensifying hopes for a new Gaza ceasefire, UN humanitarians confirmed disturbing details on Friday of continued killings and injuries of Palestinians desperately seeking food at aid sites.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
A clearer picture of needs across Iran is beginning to emerge after the conflict this month with Israel, which left hundreds dead, several hospitals hit and a spike in Afghan refugees returning home, the UN’s top official in Tehran said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
The blistering early-summer heatwave that’s brought life-threatening temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere is a worrying sign of things to come, UN weather experts said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Human Rights Council annual panel on adverse impacts of climate change.
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
The first meagre midweek delivery of urgently needed medical goods to enter Gaza in months will provide scant relief to the enclave’s people, who continue to be shot and killed as they search for food, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
2
1
2
Statements , Edited News | HRC
Enhanced interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on Myanmar presented by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and oral update by Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
1
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
The conflict-impacted people of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) urgently need much more international assistance than they are getting today, the UN’s top aid official said on Thursday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNOG
Violence in Myanmar is spiralling as the military junta increases its attacks on monasteries, schools and camps sheltering people uprooted by the civil war, a top independent human rights investigator warned on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on Palestinians killed seeking food in Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Iran-Israel war: UN rights office concerned over strike on Tehran prison, reported espionage arrests
Tehran’s notorious Evin prison known for holding dissidents should not be a target, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday, a day after a reported Israeli strike on the complex.