Madagascar

+++ Current developments: On February 10, Cyclone Gezani struck the east coast of Madagascar, causing severe damage. Nearly half a million people have been affected. WHH is providing emergency assistance, including a cash-for-work program to clear access routes and clean drainage channels, the disinfection of wells and household-level water treatment, the distribution of kitchen kits and essential household items, and a fortified nutrition program for 6,000 children. +++ Madagascar is almost as large as Germany and Poland put together. The tropical island nation is home to a population of around 30.3 million. Three quarters of the population live in poverty according to the World Bank's Madagascar Poverty Assessment report. Around 40 per cent of the people is undernourished. In the 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Madagascar has one of the highest GHI scores, which, at 35.8, is considered alarming. The country’s food insecurity is driven by consecutive years of drought brought on by global climate change, which is pushing areas in the south of the country to the brink of famine. Madagascar’s economy, which shrank significantly after a five-year-long political crisis, depends primarily on agriculture (vanilla export) and, to a lesser extent, on tourism. As a result, the livelihood of most Malagasy is severely threatened by the effects of climate change.