In 2021, Damisoa and his family were forced to leave their home in the Androy region, southern Madagascar. Droughts worsened by climate change meant there wasn’t enough food to survive.
After a challenging four-month, 1,500 km journey, they reached Boeny in the northwest, hoping for a better life. But conditions remained harsh. In 2023, they were allocated a tiny 5m² hut at a resettlement site. Each rainy season the nearby Kamoro River swells, encircling the site with often fast, crocodile-infested waters. This makes it dangerous for residents to leave. The site’s land is barren, and access to food, clean water, and healthcare is limited. In early 2025, Damisoa’s newborn niece died after her mother, weakened by hunger and thirst, could no longer breastfeed. As the government-appointed site manager, Damisoa spends much of his time advocating for the site’s residents who are living in degrading conditions. However, his pleas have gone unanswered.
People displaced by famine and now living in Boeny, including Damisoa and his fellow residents, urgently need humanitarian assistance. But aid is currently almost exclusively concentrated in drought-stricken southern Madagascar.