In the Grand-Sud and Grand Sud-Est regions of Madagascar, malnutrition remains a major challenge: 7.8 per cent of children aged 6 to 59 months suffer from acute malnutrition according to a Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) survey carried out by UNICEF in September 2024. Poverty, drought and climate crises exacerbate food insecurity, pushing between one and two million people into IPC Phase 3 (crisis) or higher each year.

In 2024, Action Against Hunger met the urgent needs of 262,371 people while addressing the root causes of vulnerability. In the area of Health and Nutrition, the consortium of Action Against Hunger, Action Sociale Organisation de Secours and Médecins du Monde, with funding from DG ECHO and USAID/Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs, treated 9,119 malnourished children and provided 1,305 medical consultations through mobile clinics in the most remote areas of the country. Families also received psychosocial support to strengthen the mother-child bond and help them cope with difficulties. The sustainable strengthening of local capacities is also an integral part of our activities, leading to the training of 232 health workers and the rehabilitation of nutritional recovery centres in hospitals, with the addition of dedicated mother-child rooms and latrines.

Food assistance in the form of cash transfers was also provided to 81,519 people to meet their immediate needs during the hunger gap. Supported farmers received training and agricultural inputs to promote resilient and climate-smart practices. Through the SHARE initiative, 34 community-built water points have improved access to water for domestic use and irrigation of subsistence crops.