Covid-19 & Humanitarian Aid

Covid-19 pandemic has wrecked havoc on a weak Malagasy economy and cyclically struggling tourism industry principally dependent on international tourists and holiday makers. Since the closure of the borders and international airports in Madagascar in March 2020 following the declaration of state of health emergency by the government of Madagascar, tens of thousands of people lost their job in a blink of an eye virtually hopeless of any financial assistance from the government itself struggling with a rolling pandemic with a system devoid of unemployment benefit. Tour guides and drivers, most of them freelancers, are faced by their dreaded nightmare, loss of an income, thaw of savings, eviction, recourse to selling off of personal properties including land, furniture, appliances, some even seriously considered the selling off of the long acquired vehicle at the cost of many years of saving and which allowed them provide a living to their family, often extended family under the phenomenon known to Africans, African-Americans and to some extent to Asian populations as “Black Tax,” and with time, many shift to moneylender… Cognizant of the life of hardship facing most and following the unspoken rule of keeping one’s own financial difficulties private and within the family, those affected most by the crisis consequential to the pandemic with Covid-19 exposed their dismal only under insistence, the track we followed to acquire information. With limited access to cash, we can only help so much of our “colleagues.” In despair, we turned to relatives, friends, outbound tour operators partners of Wild Madagascar in promoting tours and journey to Madagascar, and acquaintances for financial assistance. In the months following our quest for backing, we felt blessed by the people we solicited with substantial remittances which we used to financially support some forty beneficiaries, national tour guides, drivers, guides at national parks scattered almost in every part of Madagascar from North to the South-West with a somehow consequential although not getting anywhere closer to the minimum monthly wage in Madagascar. We are now collecting information on families in need of an exceptional support for the education of their off-spring in term of fees, books, and other equipment, admitted burden on incomes at the start of every school year yet becoming unbearable in time of pandemic… At the opposite of the statement made by everyone of the donors, the help directed to those exceptionally needy people is life saving and we at Wild Madagascar and particularly each recipient dispersed in Madagascar, are grateful to each and everyone of you and would like to restate the need of further support from your part as the borders remain closed and reprisal seemingly hopeless in sight of the worldwide situation…

As goes the saying in Malagasy “We might never manage to pay you back your largesse, the Almighty will care for your well being. We wish that your charity will pay back hundredfold.” God bless.