A newly displaced Somali mother feeds her severely malnourished baby with sugary water to restore energy at a feeding centre in Doolow, south western Somalia.TONY KARUMBA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Laura StoneToronto Star
Friday is the deadline for Canada’s 10-week program that will see it match dollar-for-dollar the donations by private individuals to aid agencies working on drought-relief efforts in Somalia and neighbouring countries.
The head of the five non-profits offering aid to the Horn of Africa countries says it’s imperative to get supplies to people as soon as possible.
“It’s really important that we get assistance out to communities before people have to pick up and leave and go to refugee camps,” said Nicolas Moyer, executive director of the Humanitarian Coation.
He said camps such as Dadaab, in Kenya, now holds 400,000 people. Most refugees arrive from Somalia, a country currently experiencing the worst famine in 60 years.
The coalition, made up of Oxfam Canada and Oxfam Quebec, CARE Canada, Save the Children and Plan Canada, will provide clean water, food, shelter and health services to some 13 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Djibouti.
The United Nations says it faces a $1-billion shortfall in addressing the worst famine in Somalia in 60 years, which has hit 13 million people, and left tens of thousands dead in recent months.
So far, individual donations have raised about $35 million, but on Wednesday International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda urged Canadians to give more.
“I know that Canadians are very careful with their dollars,” Oda said Wednesday. “When you can double the impact, take advantage of the next 72 hours and please write a cheque.”
The United Nations says it faces a $1-billion shortfall in addressing the worst famine in Somalia in 60 years, which has left tens of thousands dead in recent months.
Along with matching donations to aid agencies until Friday, the government has also pledged $72 million.
The matching program is similar to one the government ran in response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which raised more than $200 million.
But Moyer says the situation in East Africa is even more pressing.
“Unlike an earthquake or a tsunami, where the best that we can do is really help the survivors cope with the aftermath, in this case we really can save lives,” he said.
This time, he said, Canadians have the opportunity to prevent a disaster and not just react to one.
“It’s not about picking up the pieces after. This is a crisis that’s unfolding before our eyes.”
Donations can be made online at www.together.ca
With files from the Canadian Press
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