PRESS RELEASE

"Through the support of the European Union, the Malagasy Red Cross supports the resilience of communities vulnerable to crises and recurrent climate shocks in six regions of Madagascar"
Morondava, 29 September

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has allocated a support of 1.1 million euros for the implementation of MIATRIKA project, led by the Malagasy Red Cross, in collaboration with the Norwegian Red Cross, German Red Cross and the Danish Red Cross, in order to strengthen the capacity of communities and institutions to prepare for, and conduct a prompt response to climate disasters in the regions of Menabe, Analamanga, Vatovavy Fitovinany, Alaotra Mangoro, Analanjirofo Atsinanana.

The MIATRIKA project benefits 57,673 people in these six regions, who are vulnerable to natural disasters. It helps reduce negative impacts, and contributes to the resilience of communities vulnerable to crises and recurrent shocks.

Through this project, the Malagasy Red Cross, with the financial support of ECHO, aims to develop coping mechanisms to climate shocks. It places particular emphasis on strengthening the preparedness capacities of students as well as their families, by reinforcing early warning mechanisms and the national legal framework, establishing community structures of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), developing community action plans, strengthening the Malagasy Red Cross preparedness and response capacity at the national, regional and local level, in addition to the capacity to implement a multi-sectoral emergency response within 48 hours. The project will also promote access to safe drinking water and the development of good practices in hygiene, agricultural techniques and storage.

The MIATRIKA project will take place at the community level with a particular focus on schools, so that students, parents and teachers in targeted primary schools become prepared and involved in activities of harm and disasters' reduction; but also on the level of the government in order to strengthen the legal framework, the early warning system and the establishment of a multi-sectorial unit capable of managing humanitarian aid in the country.

The effectiveness and sustainability of actions rely on the close collaboration of actors and institutions involved in DRR. The Malagasy Red Cross will work on this project in close cooperation with all relevant national and regional organizations to ensure the project's success.

About ECHO:

The European Union and its Member States are among the main providers of humanitarian aid in the world. Through the service of the General Directorate of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the EU supports annually over 120 million people who are victims of conflicts and disasters. Based in Brussels and with a global network of field offices, the European Commission provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the sole basis of humanitarian needs, regardless of race, ethnicity, religious and political affiliation, gender, age or nationality.
For more information on ECHO's work in Madagascar, please visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/where/sub-saharan-africa/southern-africa_en

About the Malagasy Red Cross:

As a leading player in the humanitarian field in Madagascar, the Malagasy Red Cross (MRC) is a voluntary aid society, auxiliary to public authorities in the humanitarian field. Its mission is to deliver quality services and implement appropriate programs to prevent and alleviate human suffering by mobilizing and assisting communities throughout the country by providing support in the areas of health, risks and disasters' management, risk reduction, community health in addition to the promotion of humanitarian principles and values. It thus contributes to increasing the resilience of vulnerable communities and to alleviate human suffering impartially, without any discrimination based on nationality, race, sex, religious beliefs, social class or political opinions, through its network of 14,300 volunteers present in 22 regions, 120 districts and 1,045 communes in Madagascar.

For more information on the work of the Malagasy Red Cross, please visit: http://www.croixrougemalagasy.org/

Croix-Rouge Malagasy – Service communication 2016

Rojo RAKOTOARISOA

2016-09-29

Elisabeth Eide

RDK