MINISTER ODA ANNOUNCES CANADA'S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR HAITI
(Marketwire) - Canadian International Development Agency - CIDA - www.acdi-cida.gc.ca
Minister Oda Announces Canada's Continued Support For Haiti
OTTAWA, ONTARIO-- Today, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, reinforced Canada's commitment to Haiti and announced support for fifteen new reconstruction and recovery initiatives. In line with the objectives of the Interim Commission for the Reconstruction of Haiti, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) will strengthen health, housing, education, disaster preparedness and agriculture in Haiti with new initiatives to improve the livelihoods of the Haitian population.
"The Harper Government remains committed to the Haitian people and to Canadians who have strongly demonstrated their support to Haiti's recovery. Our government is fulfilling its promise to Haiti by making a difference where it matters most to the Haitian people," said Minister Oda. "By addressing housing, healthcare, and education Canada will make an immediate impact in the lives of Haitians. Our support for agriculture and job-creation will help Haiti help itself."
Through the work of Save the Children Canada, the Fondation Jules et Paul-Émile Léger, International Child Care Canada, and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Canada will support Haiti's healthcare system. This work includes rehabilitating two hospitals, and working with four university hospitals. More than 54,000 people who previously had to rely on costly private health providers will have access to free, comprehensive primary health care services. Capacity will be increased to allow for an additional 9,900 consultations per year, prenatal and postnatal care for 1280 women, and HIV tests for 9,550 women. Further, by supporting the university hospitals, Canada will help give 360 clinical graduates, interns, residents and 160 other health professionals the skills to perform in obstetric and neonatal emergencies.
Canada, through CIDA, will support three projects that will improve housing for the people of Haiti. Working with the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, Habitat for Humanity, and the Mennonite Central Committee of Canada, 2,300 families will receive new or reconstructed housing.
Canada will also support improvements to education, including the construction of two new schools and the reconstruction of others. More than 1600 students will be able to pursue their studies in secure conditions, including 450 students in the Valley of Jacmel. Thanks to this support, an estimated 50,000 children will receive a daily meal at school. Canada will work with the Fondation Paul Gérin Lajoie, Terre Sans Frontières, Association Québécoise Pour L'Avancement des Nations Unies, and World Vision Canada.
The Association Québécoise Pour L'Avancement des Nations Unies will build a vocational school in memory of New Brunswick's Mark Gallagher. While serving with the RCMP Sergeant Gallagher passed away in the Haiti earthquake.
To improve Haiti's ability to prepare and respond to natural disasters, Canada will support the Centre d'étude et de coopération internationale's (CECI) work to provide disaster readiness to 21 of the poorest communes in Haiti, benefiting close to 2 million Haitians.
Today's announcement also includes three agricultural initiatives with the Mennonite Central Committee of Canada, Hope International Development Agency and Oxfam Québec. These projects will revitalize agriculture in Haiti by training 2,000 current and new members at six crop storage silos and six farmer cooperatives, provide youth with vocational training in agriculture and construction trades, and create 1,300 jobs through rehabilitating wells, farmland, roads, and forests.
Today's announcement totals $29.9 million.
The Government of Canada's current commitment to Haiti makes it the largest recipient of Canadian development assistance in the Americas. This includes support for post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction efforts, as well as humanitarian assistance and support for long-term development.
BACKGROUNDER
CIDA will strengthen the housing, disaster preparedness, education, health, and agricultural sectors in Haiti with new initiatives to improve the livelihoods of the Haitian population.
Health
Canada's support includes efforts to rehabilitate the Cardinal Leger Hospital located in Léogâne and reinstate health care activities by restoring the hospital's permanent structures and damaged systems and equipment. Working with the Jules and Paul-Émile Léger Foundation [http://www.leger.org/en/], Canada, through this rehabilitation, will build capacity for 9,900 consultations per year, 180 operations per year, 4,500 prescriptions per year, 9,375 laboratory tests per year, and 150 sonographic examinations per year. ($799,437)
Grace Children's Hospital will be reconstructed and expanded through Canada's support for International Child Care Canada [http://ca.internationalchildcare.org/]. The hospital serves vulnerable populations, especially women and children, living in the lower Delmas region of Port-au-Prince. The hospital currently provides 1,700 one-year-old children with full immunization, improves the nutrition of 1,007 children, provides prenatal and postnatal care for 1,280 women, and tests 9,550 women and their partners for HIV. The hospital also provides contraception, Vitamin A supplements, and prenatal and postnatal visits. ($795,000)
Canada will support Save the Children Canada [http://www.savethechildren.ca/] in developing the capacity to offer primary health care services to children and basic obstetric care to pregnant women across the country. Some 54,000 individuals who previously had to rely on costly private health providers will have access to free, comprehensive primary health care services. ($ 1,234,701)
Also, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, [http://www.sogc.org/index_e.asp] with Canada's support, will increase the capacity of clinics in four universities (State University of Haiti, Notre Dame, Quisqueya, and Lumière) in maternal and neonatal health. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to strengthen the capacity of health professionals, including graduates, interns, and residents, in obstetrics and gynaecology. This initiative will give 360 clinical graduates, interns, and residents and 160 other health professionals the skills to perform in obstetric and neonatal emergencies. ($1,642,960)
Housing
The three projects include a Development and Peace [http://www.devp.org/devpme/main-eng.html] project to benefit 1,700 families through housing development and permanent access to water. With Canada's support, this project will enable 40 construction teams to build earthquake- and hurricane-resistant houses, along with latrines and structures to catch rainwater. ($4,998,612)
Canada's support for Habitat for Humanity Canada [http://www.habitat.ca/] will repair 175 homes and install 100 sanitation facilities for up to 500 families in Simon Pele, a low-income, high density, earthquake-affected area of Port-au-Prince, and provide primary health care clinics in that neighbourhood. This support will enable Habitat for Humanity Canada to educate 10,000 community members on major health issues, immunize 100 pregnant women and 900 children, and provide health supplies to 3,000 households and two schools. ($1,289,530)
Working with Mennonite Central Committee Canada [http://canada.mcc.org/] (MCC Canada), Canada's support will put vulnerable families into new, hazard-resistant permanent homes. This project aims to construct 50 hazard-resistant duplex homes for 100 beneficiary families (approximately 500 people). MCC Canada will also establish an agricultural cooperative benefiting up to 1,500 members. ($1,424,811)
Education
Canada's support for Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie [http://www.fondationpgl.ca/accueil/index.php] will repair or rehabilitate six destroyed or damaged schools. Capacity building in a further 21 schools will improve the training for faculty. ($1,007,143)
Terre Sans Frontières, [http://www.terresansfrontieres.ca/tsf/en/index_e.php] with Canada's support, will rehabilitate and rebuild four schools and one health centre in the departments of Ouest and Sud-Est, the areas most severely hit by the earthquake. Some 1,600 students will be able to pursue their studies in secure conditions, including 450 students in the valley of Jacmel. Further, 15,000 Haitians will have rapid access to safe drinking water while five local micro-enterprises will be created to manage water supplies. ($1,970,311)
With Canada's support, World Vision Canada [http://www.worldvision.ca/Pages/welcome.aspx] will recover and rehabilitate schools in Tabarre and Croix-de-Bouquet to help build the capacity of the state government and local schools. Through this work, an estimated 50,000 children will receive a daily meal at school. World Vision Canada will build two new schools, and will provide 40 schools with supplies, 25 schools with latrines, and 30 schools with furniture. The project will directly benefit 560,845 individuals, of which 111,984 will be women and 335,300 will be children. ($3,891,743)
L'Association québécoise pour l'Avancement des Nations Unies (AQANU) [http://www.aqanu.org/], with Canada's support, will create a fully functional vocational trade school in memory of Sergeant Mark Gallagher that will comprise of 15 programs targeted to all 13 communes within Carrefour, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. The school will enable 500 young boys and girls to contribute, within a relatively short period, to the reconstruction and sustainable development of Haiti. The building will comply with earthquake resistant regulations and offer a learning environment accessible to persons with disabilities. AQANU will be working with the Friends of Sergeant Mark Gallagher and the Little Sisters of St. Therese. ($789,134)
Disaster preparedness
Canada, through CIDA, will support the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation [http://www.ceci.ca/en/] (CECI) in its work to provide disaster readiness to 21 of the poorest communes in Haiti. Close to 2 million Haitians will have prepared community plans in risk management. ($3,531,561)
Agriculture
Canada's support for the HOPE International Development Agency [http://www.hope-international.com/index.php], in cooperation with the Foundation for International Development Assistance, [http://www.fida-pch.org/], will revitalize agriculture in Haiti through training 2,000 current and new members at six crop storage silos and six farmer cooperatives. ($882,720)
Mennonite Central Committee Canada [http://canada.mcc.org/] (MCC Canada), working with Canada's support, aims to provide youth with vocational training in agriculture and construction trades. Approximately 125 students will be trained using hands-on construction methods that will give them significant opportunities to apply their knowledge as well as extend that learning to the wider community. ($689,845)
Canada's support for Haiti will allow Oxfam-Québec [http://oxfam.qc.ca/en/home] to improve food security and increase revenues for the population in the Léogâne district. This support will rehabilitate and rebuild wells, farmland, and roads, provide farm supplies to Haitian farmers, and plant fruit trees and forests to prevent erosion, providing up to 1,300 jobs. ($4,971,840)
For more information, please contact:
Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Justin Broekema Press Secretary 819-953-6238 or
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Media Relations Office 819-953-6534 media@acdi-cida.gc.ca
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