Facing its worst drought in 40 years, food and water in Madagascar are so costly at the moment that reports are coming in of communities eating locusts, leaves, clay and even shoe leather to survive, the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) says.
MAF writes: UNICEF says that half a million children under the age of five will be ‘acutely malnourished’ this year, with a further 110,000 facing ‘severe malnourishment’.
In the south, where 80% of the population depends on agriculture to survive, roughly 15 million people face hunger.
Responding to an earlier phase of the drought, which has killed crops, dried up water sources and destroyed livelihoods, MAF enabled staff from the Association of Bible Baptist Churches in Madagascar to distribute food to some of the worst-hit areas.
‘Cassavas and sweet potatoes are difficult to find because of the lack of rain,’ says the Association’s General Secretary. ‘Before, families could afford to eat once a day. Now people from the villages are forced to relocate to the city to find a job.
‘Many have sold their livestock. They have to sell something to find the daily cost of feeding their whole family. Some have sold their houses and land to be able to eat and drink.’
Due to Madagascar’s frequent sandstorms, farms today are covered in sand, leaving fledgling crops smothered – making it hard for farmers to reuse the land for planting.
MAF Pilot Ryan Unger flew the Association’s team to Ambovombe, where they distributed food to more than 20 devastated villages.
Thanks to a local pastor working in southern Madagascar, MAF and the Bible Baptist team, some 2,500 people received food and water in three days.
Although an overland journey would have meant travelling for over 20 hours to Ambovombe, MAF’s aircraft got them there in only 3½ hours.
The hungry villagers also received spiritual ‘food’ – with hundreds hearing the Good News for the first time. In one village, 30 people repented and burnt their charms.
‘I am thankful to God for this food,’ said one church leader, ‘but I am more thankful to see a crowd hear the gospel, repent and be saved.’
