We have just heard from the Economic Development Coordinator for the Diocese, Mr. Ialy, that rice has been distributed to the parish of Amboasary, which covers 4 churches in Amboasary, Ambovombe, Tsihombe and Beloha. The funds for this were donated by a church in Illinois, USA. The distribution reached 1,200 people, each person getting 1.5 cups of rice.
Please continue to pray for the people who are experiencing seasonal famine. Bishop Samy reports that this time of year is called “the green grass period” – and as you can see the grass is green at present.
The rains have come, and new growth is happening in the plants, but there is not yet a crop. The children don’t go to school because of lack of food, they don’t go to church because of lack of food food problem. They have to find any kind of food in the forest or in the ground( like wild potatoes). This, hopefully, will be finishing around end of April or beginning of May. The local authority knows of this critical situation, and the government has started to sell “a cheaper rice”(half price) to help the situation, but selling rice presupposes people have the money to buy any rice.