Friend: Sonambinina and her four children have nothing left.

Nothing grows on their small farm in southern Madagascar, and with no livestock or money to spare, they’ve resorted to digging up and eating cassava plants—which can be poisonous when prepared improperly.

Desperate to find food for her children, Sonambinina sought help from the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mobile health clinic in Ranobe commune, in Madagascar’s Amboasary district. There, she learned that three of her children were malnourished, and they were admitted to MSF’s inpatient therapeutic feeding program.

Sonambinina’s children are just three of more than 6,000 malnourished children MSF has helped to feed across 20 locations since March 2021. A confluence of environmental issues there—including the country’s worst drought in more than 30 years—have led to a severe nutrition crisis.

Sonambinina managed to get her children to an MSF mobile health clinic before they required hospitalization, but more children just like them struggle to reach essential care from remote villages. For many, MSF’s mobile health clinics are the only source of health care available in their area.

Our teams diagnose and treat malnutrition using simple tools like a mid-upper arm circumference bracelet that assesses a child’s malnutrition in seconds. We also use ready-to-use therapeutic food that is shelf-stable, easily transportable, and contains all the nutrients a child needs to gain weight.

MSF teams are on the ground right now working to address these issues and need additional support as soon as possible. Help us continue to provide care in Madagascar, and more than 70 other countries around the world, for as long as it’s needed by making a generous donation today.