Over 35,000 people in six countries will benefit; includes humanitarian response for Afghanistan drought
Over 35,000 people in six countries will benefit from seven projects totaling $2.2 million committed by Canadian Foodgrains Bank in October.
The projects are being implemented by Foodgrains Bank members Development and Peace—Caritas Canada, Emergency Relief and Development Overseas, Mennonite Central Committee Canada, Presbyterian World Service and Development, Tearfund Canada and World Renew, in collaboration with their local partners.
One project, through Presbyterian World Service & Development, is responding to a harsh drought in Afghanistan. In 2018, two-thirds of the country received much less rain than usual, as well as limited snowfall. The end result is that water availability is greatly reduced. Wheat production was well-below average last year, and this year’s crop was no better.
Many families are struggling to access enough food and their situation is complicated by Afghanistan’s overall instability.
In response, PWS&D’s partner Community World Service Asia is providing 800 households (about 5,600 people) with five monthly transfers of cash they can use to buy food from local markets. The project total is $633,000.
Another project, through Development and Peace—Caritas Canada and their partner Trocaire, is providing support to malnourished young children and pregnant and lactating mothers in the Gedo region of Somalia.
Serious flooding has caused extreme hardship for many families who were already struggling to access enough food. Many people have been displaced from their homes, but there is nowhere safe for them to go, due to conflict and general unrest.
Through the project, special fortified food is being provided for severely malnourished young children and pregnant and lactating women. These activities are part of a larger therapeutic feeding and nutrition clinic operated by Trocaire. In total, 4,200 people are benefitting through the project, which totals $377,000.
All projects committed in October:
- An agriculture and livelihoods and food assistance project in Burundi through Mennonite Central Committee Canada, totaling $422,000 million and benefitting 8,700 people.
- An agriculture and livelihoods project in India through Tearfund Canada, totaling $134,000 and benefitting 3,000 people.
- An agriculture and livelihoods project in Liberia through Tearfund Canada, totaling $300,000 and benefitting 1,500 people.
- An agriculture and livelihoods project in Zimbabwe through Mennonite Central Committee Canada, totaling $172,000 and benefitting 9,600 people.
- An agriculture and livelihoods project in Somalia through Emergency Relief and Development Overseas, totaling $178,000 and benefitting 2,250 people.
Canadian Foodgrains Bank programs are undertaken with support from the Government of Canada.
–-Amanda Thorsteinsson, Communications Coordinator
Source : foodgrainsbank.ca