The Canadian government has pledged to provide the Philippines more than P80 million of humanitarian assistance to support the communities hard-hit by typhoon Odette.
The additional funding augments the P120-million donation extended by Canada in December 2021 to give immediate help for the residents affected by the
“Two months after super typhoon Odette devastated widespread areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, Canada continues to work with the Government of the Philippines, the United Nations, and our partners to address the needs of vulnerable people still suffering the after effects of this climate change catastrophe, the world’s second deadliest natural disaster of 2021,” Canada’s Ambassador to the Philippines Peter MacArthur said Friday, March 4.
According to MacArthur, the additional donation will be provided to the World Food Programme for emergency food assistance, telecommunications, and logistics operations, and to the International Organization for Migration for emergency shelter operations.
“We have been amazed and humbled by the resiliency and resolve of Filipinos, and the tireless efforts of those crisis responders working to restore livelihoods, rehabilitate infrastructure and address pressing humanitarian needs while at the same time coping with the pandemic,” the ambassador said.
Canada coursed the initial P120-million funding in December through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies via the Canadian Red Cross, Oxfam Canada and Plan International, and World Food Programme.
It was intended to provide immediate assistance to 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.
READ MORE: Canada donates P120-million aid for PH's 'Odette' recovery efforts