Canada on Tuesday announced matching an equivalent amount to the 46.8 million dollars collected by its individual citizens for the flood-affected in Pakistan and donating it to the Pakistan Flood Relief Fund. Canadian Minister of International Co-operation Beverley J. Oda said in Ottawa that Canada would continue to support Pakistani people with emergency aid and early recovery efforts.
"Canadians have demonstrated their compassion and generosity, and the government is proud to partner with them to help the victims of the floods in Pakistan," Minister Oda said. The Canadian government had announced that it would recognise the donations made by individual Canadians to eligible Canadian registered charities up to October 3. Registered charities had until October 18 to declare the amount of eligible donations they collected for Pakistan relief.
"Through the Pakistan Flood Relief Fund, Canada will assist those who are able to return to their homes as well as those who remain in camps," Minister Oda said. Canadian International Development Agency (Cida) has already disbursed 19 million dollars from the Pakistan Flood Relief Fund to support logistics and transport capacity of the overall humanitarian response.
It was also used to deploy relief items from the Cida stockpile-tents, jerrycans, tarps, hygiene kits, cook-sets, and mosquito nets, aquatabs for water purification, and Canadian humanitarian experts to affected zones. Allocations from the fund have also been used to support agricultural early recovery activities to ensure that farmers can recover and plant during the critical wheat season currently underway.