Canada is donating P120-million as assistance to the Philippines to help typhoon-hit communities recover from the devastation of typhoon Odette.
In a statement, the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines detailed the assistance being provided to the country, following the statement of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Canada’s commitment to provide immediate support to relief operations on Dec. 21, 2021.
According to Canada’s ambassador to the Philippines Peter MacArthur, the donation is being coursed through their partner humanitarian organizations Red Cross, Oxfam, Plan International, and the World Food Programme.
The organizations, he said, "are well-positioned to deliver support, have existing presence on the ground and strong relationships with local authorities, other civil society organizations, and the affected communities.”
Of the total donation, Canada is providing P 72 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support their response in emergency food assistance and logistics operations in affected communities.
It aims to help 530,000 people through the provision of non-perishable nutritious food, emergency cash-for-work in semi-urban and rural areas, multi-purpose cash transfers to cover immediate food needs and support livelihood, and the facilitation of transport and emergency logistics response equipment.
The foreign country is also coursing P28 million through Oxfam Canada and Plan International Canada to provide multi-purpose cash assistance to support basic food and shelter needs, daily potable water including storage and treatment solutions, distribution of menstrual health and hygiene kits, and facilitating access to protection services.
The assistance aims to meet the needs of around 30,250 people in Surigao del Norte and Southern Leyte over the course of six months.
A total of P 20 million was provided to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) via the Canadian Red Cross Society to support the IFRC emergency appeal to boost Philippine Red Cross activities that help address emergency health, shelter and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs of the most vulnerable impacted by the typhoon.
It seeks to meet the immediate needs of 81,000 of the most vulnerable affected households including women/child-headed households, pregnant or lactating women; families with persons with disability, elderly, those suffering from chronic illnesses, families with children under five years old, families who have not received any or sufficient assistance from the government or other organizations, those who belong to socially vulnerable families and those who lack the resources to meet basic humanitarian needs on their own
“Canada is deeply concerned by the aftermath of this climate change induced catastrophe. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are pleased to be working with Government of the Philippines, Canadian and international humanitarian partners in reaching out to those most affected by “Odette,” MacArthur said.
“We are also pleased to hear about the UN’s rapid US$12 million response allocation from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the response to Super Typhoon ‘Odette.’ Canada has been a leading contributor to the UN’s CERF following an C$88 million 3-year re-commitment made in December 2020,” the ambassador added.
Through the Embassy’s Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Canada has made a quick response funding of an additional P2 million to support local relief efforts in the Caraga region.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines has also asked its members to donate to relief and recovery efforts led by the private sector.
READ MORE: Int'l community sends help to areas hard-hit by typhoon Odette