More than one million people in southern Madagascar are struggling to get enough to eat, due to what could become the first famine caused by climate change, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). The region has been hit hard by successive years of severe drought, forcing families in rural communities to resort to desperate measures just to survive.

The drought – the worst in four decades – has devastated isolated farming communities in the south of the country, leaving families to scavenge for insects to survive.

In September 2021, the students of a new school building in Morarano rallied our NGO partner, GemsOfMadagascar.org, to purchase the vegetable harvest from their parents and community to donate to the south of Madagascar. The target was to fill 1,500kg of supplies, with crops picked from Morarano and additional ones from Antsirabe.

Part of the project was to include the students to help pick the crops and prepare them for donation. This is an important lesson for the students, as it allows to practice empathy and helping the less fortunate.

The team from GOM was able to get assistance from the Governor of the Vakinankaratra region. He offered 4 gentlemen from his team to escort the food aid truck entourage from GOM to the south of Madagascar.

After 7 days of travelling, the food aid truck entourage arrives safely in Antanandava on 20 October 2021 and began the distribution in the wee hours of the morning.

450 families arrived at the distribution point, each receiving 28kg of food which will last time about a month.

Acronis Cyber Foundation is humbled to be able to contribute to this humanitarian aid to help the village of Antanandava in the south of Madagascar.  Your donation, no matter how big or small, made an impact on our school communities. When we worked together, we kept these children – those who are in need of life-saving food aid, and those whose parents struggle to maintain their livelihoods – healthy and safe so that they can continue learning.