During the first week of August, U.S. Ambassador Claire A. Pierangelo visited Madagascar’s drought-stricken South where she met with regional officials, health care providers, and food security specialists and beneficiaries, and saw first-hand the positive impacts of U.S. government-supported economic development and innovative agricultural approaches and humanitarian assistance infrastructure.
Throughout the five-day visit, Ambassador Pierangelo witnessed both the extent of climate-related effects on the region’s residents and the scope of the response by the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to safeguard food security in partnership with United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the Government of Madagascar.
Through these partnerships, USAID-supported programs feed those who are most vulnerable, improve delivery of health services, expand livelihoods, and protect endangered animals and plants.
“The U.S government is committed more than ever to reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in Madagascar,” Ambassador Pierangelo said at the end of the visit. “On this trip I have seen innovative and effective ways to tackle the root causes of poverty and the issues stemming from this.”
In Ampanihy District on Monday, Ambassador Pierangelo met with health care providers and community health volunteers to discuss a recent USAID-supported training that has helped them provide better services in maternal child health, nutrition, and malaria prevention in the region.
In Tanambao in the Beloha District, at a USAID-supported growth monitoring site, mothers presented their children under five to be screened for malnutrition and sat for training on how to prepare nutritious meals for families with locally available ingredients.