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26/2/2003
The Community helps Madagascar
through the shipment of medicines
From June 2002 until February 2003 the Community of
Sant'Egidio has being shipping to Madagascar some cargoes of medicines to
support the orphanage of Fianarantsoa and the home family of Saint Maurice
in Antananarivo.
 The
situation
From
the middle of December 2001 until the end of June 2002 Madagascar has been
shaken by a political crisis due to the controversial results of the
political elections of December 2001. The economy of the country has
remained in a state of paralysis for six months.
Rice, the main sustenance of the Madagascan population - imported from
India, since the national production is not sufficient for the internal need
- was scarce and its cost had greatly increased; legumes and other
agricultural products, cultivated in particular in the area of the Central
Plateau, could not reach the other areas of the country. The same has
happened for many other first necessity products, among which medicines.
An example of the gravity of the situation is the fact that a simple flu
epidemic has made thousands of victims, among which many children. In fact
the situation of the children, in a period of economic and food crisis, has
become particularly difficult. It has been calculated (data PAM [World Food
Program] June 2002) that about 35.000 Madagascan children suffer from
malnutrition.
Now the "crisis" is over and the political situation of the
country is relatively calm, but the economic situation remains disastrous.
To worsen the situation is the fact that, as every year, the cyclones (in
the months of January and February) make many damages, thus making worse a
situation which is already serious.
The
intervention of the Community
One
of the factors which has worsened the political and economic crisis of
Madagascar has been isolation. Only in the month of June 2002 it has been
possible to send the first aids.
The Community has intervened at once so that medicines could reach the
Orphelinat Catholique of Fianarantsoa, a city on the Plateau (1600 metres)
which is located at about 500 km from the capital city.
The orphanage, built by the Nazarene Nuns, is one of the biggest of the
Island. It has about 400 children, most of them infants. Besides the
children entrusted by the civil authorities, many have been abandoned at the
entrance of the institute by mothers who were to poor to be able to support
them.
While the number of the children was quickly growing, also because of the
crisis the supplies both of food and of medicines were running out.
The first medicines (vitamins, antibiotics, antimalarial etc. and specific
medicines for the infants) have arrived from Germany thanks to the
commitment of the German communities and to the support of Action Medeor, in
the month of June with the first flights which have been restaured after the
crisis.
The Community of Antananarivo has helped the medicines reach their
destination, helping solve the burocratic and transport problems.
Thanks to the medicines it has been possible to cure the frailest children
and to prevent the contagion of the flu epidemic which in the month of
August has caused about 1000 deaths in the only region of Fianarantsoa.
In the following months the helps of the Community have continued.
At the beginning of February another cargo of medicines has arrived in
Madagscar, and it hs been destined, besides Fianarantsoa, to the home family
for the children of the women prisoners of the prison of Antananarivo, which
is run by the nuns of Saint Maurice.
The home gives shelter to some decines of children who, otherwise, would be
forced to stay in prison with their mothers. In this home, instead, they go
to school, eat at least twice a day, receive clothes and what is necessary
for the school.
The support of the Community to Madagascar comes also through the distance
adoptions, in quite a few religious institutes of several cities of the
country, which concern more than 200 children.
To these must be added the disabled of the Foyer of Tanjomoha at Vohipeno in
the south of Madagascar, made by the movement of "The Friends".
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