February 3, 2015 – Toronto, Ontario – Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
Building on the Government of Canada’s strong record of providing support for an improved quality of life for the most vulnerable, the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular) and Member of Parliament for Blackstrap, Saskatchewan, on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today announced funding to improve nutrition and food security in Kenya, Ghana and Nicaragua.
“A nutritious diet is both fundamental for a good start in life and for healthy development. It is the foundation for the future prosperity of a community,” said Minister Yelich. “I am proud that our government has once again committed funding to help improve the health of thousands of women, men and children. Nutrition is a core component of Canada’s approach to improving food security and health for the most vulnerable, in particular women and children, and a key pillar of Canada’s renewed commitment to maternal, newborn and child health for the period 2015–2020.”
This announcement was made during the launch of the Canada and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Saving Lives by Providing the Right Food at the Right Time photo exhibit at Humber College in Toronto.
“Canada’s investments in nutrition and food security help to reduce global poverty, disease and mortality related to undernutrition,” said Minister Paradis. “Thanks to Canada’s contribution, school meals will be provided to children in more than 1,700 schools in Kenya, more than 544,000 people living in Ghana will gain better access to nutritious food, and in Nicaragua, support to the WFP’s Purchase for Progress program will help more than 3,000 small-scale farmers benefit from greater food security and family income while also supporting the country’s school feeding program, which reaches more than 150,000 children.”
Improving the health of mothers, newborns and children around the world is Canada’s top development priority. Canada has galvanized global action and committed more than $6 billion in support of efforts to end the preventable deaths of mothers and children in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Maxime Robert
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
343-203-6238
maxime.robert@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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