"CIDA's aid to Afghanistan in general - and Kandahar in particular - is delivering concrete results in critical areas like health, education and community development.

Canada's approach is to help Afghans help themselves, and the progress is tangible. For example, our support for health programming is resulting in more than 40,000 children's lives saved every year.

CIDA disbursed $139 million in aid to

Hungry people across the globe in desperate situations are reliant on WFP food. Here are this week's global hotspots.

Afghanistan

After a five truck convoy was attacked on May 24 and some 60 mt of food looted in Bala Murghab district of Badghis province, a police-escorted, 12 vehicle convoy was attacked on May 28 in Bakwa district of Farah province.

The attempt to loot the cargo resulted in the killing of two police escorts.

In yet another incident, this time in the southern province of Kandahar, a truck loaded with 40 mt of food was diverted and food looted.

"Demining is really a continuation of Jihad," he said. "Jihad doesn't only mean fighting and having weapons. It means supporting human beings, stability and development."

The 87 deminers were all wounded in the

(PORTLAND, ORE. - May 31, 2007) Amid rising volatility in the region, two physicians with Medical Teams International are headed to Kabul, Afghanistan to treat Afghan children suffering from landmine blasts and other traumatic injuries. The New York City twin surgeons-a cardiologist and an urologist- are making their second trip to the country in 17 months.

Drs. Vince and Vance Moss are scheduled to spend four weeks in Kabul, performing reconstructive surgeries at the

In an impressive move, the joint campaign brings the vaccine to prevent tetanus in newborns and mothers right to the homes of the families who need it - involving "house-to-house" visits by teams of health workers. This makes it easy for the mothers who are unable to bring their children to a clinic, to get the tetanus vaccine at home.

A complimentary "fixed center strategy"

The U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) promotes stability and positive participation in the global community through expanded, high-quality education. Adequate investments in education lead to the achievement of most of the other development goals and increase the probability that progress will be sustained. Education enhances the future of children and youth, as they prepare to participate in society and the economy. It also enables adults to gain the skills they need to lead productive lives.

Some examples of USAID global education

The situation in Afghanistan remains unstable and insecure. Following its formation in March, the heterogeneous United National Front (UNF; Jabhe-ye-Motahed-e-Milli) has announced its major demands: a change from the presidential to a parliamentary system, proportional voting in elections, election of provincial governors, coordination of activities of foreign troops and Afghan security forces (thus "legalizing" their presence), recognition of the Durand Line, and talks with armed groups (e.g. moderate Taliban). All these demands would serve to strengthen the

Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries, is also among the most challenging for WFP operations anywhere across the globe. The effects of two decades of war and civil unrest have been compounded by recurring natural disasters, including severe droughts, floods and harsh winters.

Access and movement has been fiercely restricted by growing insecurity, particularly in the south and east of

Over 500 tonnes of food aid worth about US$350,000 has been lost in some 20 attacks to date, according to WFP.

"The increasing frequency of these attacks has become a huge concern for us," Rick Corsino, WFP's representative for Afghanistan, told IRIN in Kabul.

The most recent incident took place on