• Madagascar disaster preparedness

A week after their training, the Madagascar District team joined the local council to clean flood channels and streets in preparation for the seasonal rains and to avoid flooding.

Daryl Crowden, General Manager - Emergency, Aid and Development, recently spent 12 days in Antananarivo, Madagascar, as part of an IHQ trainer team, alongside Damaris Frick (International Emergency Services) and Anisa Gasper (Education and Emergency Relief, Netherlands).

“Madagascar faces cyclones, floods, landslides, drought, disease outbreaks and now a strengthening El Niño,” Daryl explained. “After this year’s cyclones, The Salvation Army in Madagascar has been building on lessons from its earlier emergency responses. It’s a small team, but full of enthusiasm and commitment, and eager to learn.

“Over five days of PREPARE training, officers, volunteers and community members worked through humanitarian standards, safeguarding and child protection, needs assessment, project planning and disaster risk reduction. The national disaster agency (BNGRC) and the Malagasy Red Cross attended and led sessions too. The safeguarding material was translated into Malagasy, so participants could engage with it in their own language.

People, partnerships and communities preparing together for disasters.

Training in action

“For me, the highlight was the case study. Teams planned a response for 500 people displaced by flooding near Antananarivo. Their plans got food to every family within 24 hours, gave women half the seats on camp committees, built rations around local rice and screened vulnerable children and mothers for malnutrition. One participant said it best: ‘We cannot prevent disasters from happening, but we can prepare for them.’”

During the strategy days after the training, the team met with BNGRC (National Office for Risk and Disaster Management), the Red Cross and two mayors from flood-prone areas around the capital.

“We talked about the Community Action days they run, when communities clear drainage channels and rubbish before the rainy season,” Daryl explained.

“As a result of those stakeholder meetings, a week after the training the Madagascar District team joined the local council to clean flood channels and streets in preparation for the seasonal rains and to avoid flooding.

“That’s what preparedness looks like: people, partnerships and communities getting ready together. I’m grateful to the territorial leadership, Majors Mandlenkosi Dlamini, Chinaniso and Clifford Panganai, our translators and every participant for their hospitality and commitment.”