Oxfam Canada welcomes Government relief fund, hopes Canadians will join the fight against famine now to double the impact of their donations

Oxfam Canada welcomed the Government of Canada’s announcement today,  that for every eligible donation made by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities between March 17 and June 30, 2017, it will contribute an equivalent amount to the Famine Relief Fund to fight famine across 10 affected countries, including South Sudan where famine has already been declared in some areas. 

 Julie Delahanty, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, said: “We applaud Canada for stepping up their support to fight what the United Nations has called the worst humanitarian disaster since the Second World War.”

“Canada’s leadership cannot come at a more critical time. A massive injection of aid is needed so that responding organizations like Oxfam can get life-saving supplies to those who need them the most, including women and children, often the most at risk.”

Millions of people in South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger and Uganda have faced continued displacement and droughts. They have exhausted their coping mechanisms and reached a breaking point.

Martha Nyandit, a 42-year-old mother of six from South Sudan, told Oxfam: “Sometimes I feel so weak, I worry I will not have enough milk for the baby. Sometimes I’m so weak I feel like I’m going to collapse, I can’t see when I stand up.”

“Canada’s leadership cannot come at a more critical time. A massive injection of aid is needed so that responding organizations like Oxfam can get life-saving supplies to those who need them the most, including women and children, often the most at risk.”
– Julie Delahanty

“Until June 30th, the Government of Canada’s famine relief fund will double the impact of all individual donations received by Oxfam Canada, our Humanitarian Coalition partners and other registered charities,” added Delahanty. “We hope to see the generosity of Canadians shine through as it has so memorably during past crises.”

The number of people affected by this crisis is staggering.  In South Sudan alone, 4.9 million people – more than 40 percent of country’s population – urgently need food, agriculture and nutrition assistance. Women and girls are also facing extremely high levels of sexual violence including rape. In Somalia, already serious food insecurity could tip into famine if the April-June rains fail and people do not receive humanitarian support. In Yemen alone, more than 17 million people – 62% of the population – are not sure when or where their next meal will come. In Nigeria, more than 200 malnourished children could die every day without aid.

Oxfam is on the ground across all affected countries delivering emergency food, clean water and safe sanitation services to avoid water-borne diseases like cholera, and working with communities and local women’s groups in more stable areas to increase their resilience to food crises in the longer-term.

In response to the severity of this crisis, the Humanitarian Coalition – a coalition that brings together seven leading Canadian humanitarian agencies – has launched a joint emergency campaign to fight famine together.

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