Safe haven for Morondava

Oxfam South Africa and its partners in Madagascar have built the first safe haven in the city of Morondava.

The area is prone to disasters due to cyclones, and often schools have to be used as emergency shelters during cyclone season.

The newly built center is equipped with solar energy, pumped water, a sheltered outdoor kitchen, a laundry basin, and is fully accessible to persons with disabilities.

When tropical storm Cheneso hit in January 2023, heavy rains and wind caused significant flooding across the country, and the multipurpose safe haven was able to house at least 255 people for the first time, 87% of them women, children, and the elderly.

The drainage system that Oxfam South Africa, the city, and private sector partners have rehabilitated was also able to mitigate the flooding.

Oxfam, together with the Government of Madagascar (BNGRC), would like to replicate these types of interventions in other areas of the country.

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