by Chloé Sueur

05 February 2010

Tulear, Madagascar: In the south-western region of Madagascar, growing numbers of natural disasters make the population increasingly vulnerable. But through intensive partnership-building, UNV volunteer Fredericks Augustine has been helping to feed thousands.

Year by year, the region is affected by cyclones, droughts, epidemics, flood and famines. Climate change means these problems are only getting worse. And global warming and deforestation also conspire with political and economic turmoil to make life even harder – and hungrier – for people already on the poverty line.

At the beginning of his assignment as the Head of World Food Programme (WFP) sub-office in Tulear, Mr. Augustine's main challenge was to understand the development problems that bring chronic food insecurity to communities. Through regular field assessments targeting affected villages and the most vulnerable people, he identified other causes of food insecurity alongside natural disaster.

For example, in some communities where major incomes come from animal husbandry, when the head of family dies, the habit is to kill all the animals he owned. As a result, women and children - while also having to overcome being without the head of family - have to find other sources of income.

His next task was to identify partners such as local NGOs to implement food distribution. He started developing joint proposals with NGOs that, according to the assessments he supported, had sufficient capacity to assist.  After building relationships based on respect, transparency and accountability, and with the support of the WFP team, he has successfully developed more than 13 effective partnerships.

These partnerships involve food distribution of corn, oil, rice and vegetables in schools, orphanages, organizations for street children as well as tuberculosis centres. Fredericks Augustine is proud to say that during his assignment more than 45,000 children were able to have lunch at school each day.

Improving children's access to education is also a way to change habits that have negative impact on development. One impact of Mr. Augustine's efforts beyond just providing school lunches is that the number of children going to school has increased since the programme was implemented.

Another accomplishment of his assignment as a UNV volunteer was to build the team he was working with, and to reinforce their capacity. By working with them on a daily basis, office management has progressively improved and together they succeed in reaching programme objectives in a timely manner.

 “Having things done in a limited time is a challenge I have to overcome in every country I have been working, starting from mine, Liberia," concludes Fredericks Augustine. He thus bringbrings to Madagascar a determination and volunteer commitment that starts at home.

(Mr. Augustine has since moved on to work for WFP in Dungu, Democratic Republic of Congo.)