Covid is now gripping Madagascar. My heart is aching for colleagues and friends that we have lost to Covid in recent weeks and with fear for more we may lose as the covid situation in Madagascar become very frightening . This time it’s not just a financial crisis for households in lockdown it’s a medical crisis. The South African variant is spreading fast. In a country with almost no medical infrastructure and very little help with medical costs or social security, the outlook is bleak. Oxygen canisters are now extremely scarce to come by, and at £60 per canister they are also beyond the reach of most of the population. The country is now running out of coffins, traditional funeral rights can not be observed. Schools and hotels are being turned into make-shift emergency Covid clinics. We are frightened, but we must be brave and stand in solidarity with our friends and colleagues in Madagascar, to help them keep safe and try to protect as many as possible of the vulnerable people who depend on our projects.
As the vaccination roll-out brings a ray of hope to rich countries like the UK, spare a thought for friends in poor countries that are now experiencing the medical crisis, without the money or medical facilitates to cope. https://moneyformadagascar.org/donate/