UK embassy staff visit Ikongo
A team from the UK Embassy in Madagascar led by David Ashley, visited parts of southern Ikongo to see how British government support is helping people.
With David Ashley
Ikongo is a district in the south-eastern Madagascar that was worst hit by cyclone Batsirai last year. Nearly a hundred people died due to mudslides caused by the cyclone. Huge damage was done to the already weak infrastructure, including roads, schools, medical centres and homes. And the destruction caused to fields, crops and trees led to severe hunger in the immediate aftermath and food insecurity which lasts until today.
Last week a British Embassy team led by the Ambassador, David Ashley, visited the parts of southern Ikongo worst affected by Batsirai. The purpose was to see how British government support is helping people to recover in this particularly poor and hard to access region. The support was provided through the UK-based charity Feedback Madagascar, and its Malagasy partners Ny Tanintsika, as well as through the World Food Programme (WFP).
Alongside the District Chief, Ambassador Ashley inaugurated a major bridge at Ifanirea reconstructed with British funding. He also went to several of the 21 schools whose roofs have been rebuilt and talked to children and teachers. By hiking and wading across rivers, he (and the team) also visited the two new medical centres (CSB2) in Ankarimbelo, rebuilt with UK funding.
The Ambassador met the Governor of Fitovinany and the district and local authorities as well as the regional WFP office. He heard from local people how WFP food aid, funded in part by the UK, had helped people get through the worst of the food shortages. He discussed with farmers who, with support from Feedback Madagascar, have managed to access seeds and plant new crops. Ahead of today’s International Day of the Girl, he talked to a group of girls aged 12 to 14 years in Ankarimbelo to hear about their lives and their hopes and fears for the future.
Reflecting on his 3-day visit, Ambassador Ashley said:
I was touched by the extraordinary welcome from the people in Ifanirea, Antodinga and Ankarimbelo. I am proud to see how the assistance from the British Government has really helped communities to overcome the cyclone damage and rebuild their lives.
But I also saw how hard life remains in this beautiful but hard-to-access part of the country, 20 months after Cyclone Batsirai. There is still so much work to do, including to improve roads and conditions in schools as well as to prevent further hunger. Our conversations with girls in Ankarimbelo reinforced how vital it is that all children can access free, quality primary and secondary education so that they can realise their potential.
I am very grateful to our partners Feedback Madagascar, Ny Tanintsika and WFP for their dedicated work. I am appreciative too to the local authorities for their co-operation and for accompanying our visit.