OTTAWA, Ontario―Today, the Minister of International Cooperation, the Honourable Julian Fantino, thanked Canadians for their generous support to help meet the needs of millions of people in the Sahel region of Africa.
"Canadians have a long tradition of generosity in helping the most vulnerable people in times of great need," said Minister Fantino. "I am pleased that Canadians have responded and, once again, lived up to our Canadian values to help the world's most vulnerable, particularly women and children."
The food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel is affecting over 18 million people, including more than one million children at risk of severe acute malnutrition. With Canada's help, humanitarian organizations have provided food assistance to more than six million people and have treated more than 526,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
"Canadians have supported our humanitarian partners and registered charities that are fundraising for the Sahel crisis to ensure that critical, life-saving work continues," Minister Fantino said. "Canada was one of the first countries to respond to the humanitarian crisis and we are committed to continuing our efforts to meet humanitarian needs in the region."
On August 7, 2012, the Government of Canada announced that it would match, dollar-for-dollar, donations made by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities responding to the Sahel crisis, through the Sahel Crisis Matching Fund. Funds are being allocated by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to established Canadian and international humanitarian organizations for humanitarian efforts that benefit the people most affected by the crisis.
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