Flood assistance: Canada earmarks $11m for eight new projects

The IFRC, UN organisations and Canadian NGOs will manage the funds.

ISLAMABAD:

Canada has decided to fund eight new projects, costing about $11 million, to support the people affected by the monsoon rains and floods in southern Pakistan.

“Canada is greatly concerned for the people of Pakistan affected by the recent severe flooding,” said Ontario Minister of International Cooperation Beverley J Oda in an announcement issued from Ottawa on Monday. “We are responding to emergency appeals by humanitarian organisations and will continue to monitor this evolving situation to ensure that Canada is supporting those who need it the most.”

The rains that began in mid-August led to extensive flooding primarily in Sindh and Balochistan. The United Nations estimates that 5.8 million people were affected, with close to 1.8 million displaced and living in extremely difficult conditions.

“Pakistan is still rebuilding from the 2010 flooding,” said Oda. “Canada responded with humanitarian assistance and early recovery support then, and Canada will continue to stand by the people of Pakistan.”

Canada is funding the eight projects through the Canadian International Development Agency (Cida). They will be managed by UN organisations, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Canadian non-governmental organisations.

Cida’s support will help the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation, the International Organisation for Migration and Unicef to provide emergency food for up to 2.55 million people and emergency shelters and essential non-food relief items to 80,000 households.

In addition, UN organisations will supply emergency healthcare for flood-affected communities. This includes targeted nutritional support to prevent and treat malnutrition among children under the age of five as well as pregnant and lactating women.

The funds for the IFRC, meanwhile, will help meet the immediate needs of 105,000 people as far as food, clean drinking water, emergency shelters and basic healthcare go.

They will distribute 15,000 emergency shelters, an equal number of emergency food baskets and will deploy mobile medical health teams.

With Cida’s money, Save the Children Canada, Oxfam Canada and World Vision Canada plan to provide Sindh’s flood-affected population with safe drinking water and sanitation facilities as well as shelter and essential household goods. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2011.