Friday, February 12th is the last day the federal government will match your donations to Haitian relief.
So far the government has allocated $113 million to match Canadian donations, a truly amazing number – almost four dollars from every Canadian to help out the earthquake ravaged country. An estimated 200,000 people died in the earthquake, with millions of others left homeless and without basic necessities.
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has already distributed $85 million through UN agencies, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and to Canadian organizations such as CARE, Médecins du Monde, Save the Children, Oxfam Quebec, the Centre for International Studies and Co-operation, and World Vision.
In addition to doubling individual donations, Ottawa has committed about $135-million to the earthquake-relief effort, including:
- $5-million for urgent humanitarian needs.
- $60-million to an appeal to fund essential necessities and basic services provided on the ground by UN agencies.
- $11.5-million for critical relief efforts by Canadian NGOs such as CARE, Medecins du Monde, Save the Children, Oxfam Quebec, the Canadian Red Cross Society, the Centre for International Studies and Co-operation, and World Vision.
- $8.5-million to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for humanitarian assistance.
The federal government has also received permission from Haitian officials to bring 217 children to Canada, where it is expediting their adoptions.
Sources: CBCNews, The Globe and Mail
