The Canadian government has more than tripled Canada’s contribution to famine relief in the Horn of Africa, making it the second most generous global contributor to the crisis.
In the face of two years of drought in Somalia and surrounding countries, more than 11 million people are considered at risk of starvation and hundreds of thousands are drought refugees crowding into inadequate camps.
On July 22 after touring the overcrowded Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya that was established to hold 90,000 and now contains close to 400,000, international co-operation minister Bev Oda announced Canada will add $50 million to the $22.35 million already allocated.
In addition, she said the government will match any donation to a registered Canadian charity contributing to East Africa relief between July 6 and Sept. 16.
Oda told a July 22 news conference from Kenya that the images she saw during her tour will remain with her for years.
She said the announcement of matching funds is meant to tap into Canadians’ generosity.
“We know that Canadians will respond. The stories, the pictures, the faces that we saw today are unbelievable.”
Half of the new money will go to emergency food aid and the rest to non-food essentials like shelter, sanitation and water.
Canadian aid groups had been lobbying Ottawa for a $40 million commitment and praised the Conservative government for exceeding their expectations.
And the recently formed Humanitarian Coalition, which comprises Canadian aid groups, called on Canadians to match their government’s generosity.
“The Humanitarian Coalition encourages the Canadian public to mirror the government’s commitment in order to further help the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis including women and children,” it said in a July 22 statement.
Oxfam Canada said Canada’s contribution to the East African famine crisis has been second only to the United Kingdom and far ahead of most other developed countries.
Information on the groups involved in the Humanitarian Coalition, including how individuals can donate, can be found at www.together.ca.
