'austraLasia' #313

MADAGASCAR: SALESIANS PLAN TO ASSIST PEOPLE

ANS 10th march -- (translated, paraphrased and abbreviated): In the

aftermath of the cyclones, the human cost can begin to be counted - at least

200 dead, 11,000 homeless, 13,000 stranded by floodwaters...but some 600,000

people in all directly affected. Salesians are all safe and not too much

damage to structures. Our House at Ankilolokar in the North remains isolated

by floodwaters. The two confreres there are safe, though their radio

equipment is damaged. We have yet to hear from the conferes in the House ta

Bemaneviky in the extreme North.

With the cyclones gone there remains the problem of disease, cholera

especially. The worst situation is at Tulear - 420 confirmed dead from

cholera, and 5591 homes suspected of infection. The Salesian Community has

undertaken the task of vaccinating the parish population. Elsewhere at

Ankililoaka where the Salesians are, some 30 are dead so far.

The Salesians, drawing on the resources of the Provinces of origin (they are

chiefly missionaries from five Italian Provinces).

MADAGASCAR, for those who are not sure, is a large island off the South East

Coast of the African Continent. There is one quite strange and little-known

fact which interests the editor of 'austraLasia' at the moment - the

existence of elements of the Fijian language there! Some have used it as

argument that Fijians come from Africa, The argument is spurious -

linguists have ascertained that the opposite happened, that Fijians, once

rather clever at boat-building, headed that way instead!