The Diplomat
The Government of Spain has contributed 250,000 euros to help the victims of cyclone Batsirai in Madagascar, which has caused more than 120 deaths and nearly 30,000 displaced people.
The contribution, provided through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), is in response to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) humanitarian aid appeal for Madagascar.
The African country was affected in January by the passage of tropical storm Ana, which caused around 60 deaths, especially in Antananarivo, and the situation became even worse on February 5, when Cyclone Batsirai made landfall on the east coast. So far, at least 121 people have died and more than 29,000 people remain displaced, according to the latest update from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNGRC), published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on February 13.
The number of people killed and affected could rise, according to OCHA, as information begins to come in from remote areas, particularly from Ikongo district in the Fitovinany region, where landslides have claimed the lives of at least 87 people.
The IFRC’s humanitarian aid, financed by Spanish Cooperation in this emergency, prioritizes three lines of action with the affected population: comprehensive assistance to households, which includes providing families with shelter, cash, household goods and livelihoods; facilitating access to hygiene kits and drinking water and sanitation, in order to prevent diseases such as cholera; protection of the population and prevention, which includes disaster preparedness; and protection of the most vulnerable population -women, the elderly, children and adolescents- from possible cases of abuse.
The IFRC also provides health assistance to the population, mainly in the area of primary health care, and works to reduce health risks and offer psychological care to those most affected. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is working on this emergency in Madagascar alongside the Malagasy Red Cross – the local Red Cross – which has 10,000 volunteers in the country’s 20 regions.
