The Canadian government has surprised aid organizations by announcing it will donate an additional $50-million to help the millions of people facing famine in East Africa and will also match any individual donations made by Canadians.
The announcement Friday by International Development Minister Bev Oda, who was in Kenya to observe the camps where thousands of starving Somalian refugees arrive every day, makes Canada the world's largest per-capita donor to the relief effort.
"Canadians are compassionate. They've always stepped up to the plate when other people are suffering," Ms. Oda told reporters by telephone. "And I truly believe that you cannot witness this type of suffering, this type of situation, without responding."
The $50-million in federal money is in addition to the $22.3-million that the Canadian International Development Agency has already provided in humanitarian assistance to countries in the Horn of Africa.
As it has during other previous international crises, the federal government will also match donations by Canadians to eligible, registered, Canadian charities that are responding to the famine. The matching funds will apply to all donations made during a 10-week period, retroactive to July 6.
Canadians can donate to the Humanitarian Coalition at the website Together.ca