Also with remittances, Action Against Hunger offers local communities the opportunity to take an active part in repairing damaged dams, cleaning canals, rice fields, removing sand from roads, etc., in exchange for financial support. This intervention helped 2,370 families in the region. This money transfer is also made unconditionally to the most vulnerable (elderly people, single mothers, a total of about 350 households).

“Health is a priority for our teams, as many health infrastructures and hospitals have been destroyed. The goal is to restore this access to medical care by moving as close as possible to people far from these care facilities.says Jérôme Canicave, the coordinator for action against hunger in the region.

“We are currently entering a lean season, which will peak in April. We are facing very worrying malnutrition in this area, which has been little affected in the past. », he warns.

In order to prevent the risk of malnutrition, 3 mobile clinics have been set up in 5 locations near the basic health centers (CSB) to provide medical care to children and detect cases of severe malnutrition. The introduction of this system has allowed more than 3,500 children to be tested, almost 200 of whom suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

The cyclone series also had a significant impact on local agriculture and fisheries, which are an important source of wealth and income for the local population.

“The region is rich in plantations such as rice, cloves, coffee and other lucrative products for export. The period of the hurricane came a little late this year, and it affected the ripening of certain fruits, such as pine, which replaces rice in the lean season. These climatic disturbances are causing the population to suffer from malnutrition and income.