Ontario government pledges cash for African famine
Posted August 2, 2011 7:43 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – The Ontario government has pledged $1-million to help people facing starvation in the hardest hit countries of the Horn of Africa.
The United Nations (UN) declared a famine in Somalia on July 20, the first time the international agency has had to declare a famine there in nearly 20 years.
Ontario’s money will be focused on supporting the efforts of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the region, which include Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Uganda and Sudan.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has called for urgent international action to assist the region, which he says is in a rapidly deteriorating state.
The most recent estimates say there are currently 12.4 million people in need of assistance in the region.
