Canada donates $50M in aid for East Africa

For now, funds will go primarily towards Somali refugees at camps in Kenya.

Canada’s International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda announced a $50 million relief package on Friday for the humanitarian crisis in East Africa. Roughly 3.7 million people in southern Somalia are in crisis according to a United Nations report earlier this week. The funds will be channeled through agencies like the United Nations World Food Programme and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to support emergency food assistance and medical services. The Canadian government has also announced it will match individual charitable donations dollar-for-dollar. While the aid package may provide vital relief for thousands of Somali refugees living in camps in Kenya, roughly 2.2 million people inside Somalia will not be able to access it thanks to the al-Shabaab militia who have refused Western donations.