By working with Afghan producers through the Canadian- funded Purchase for Progress (P4P) programme, World Food Program (WFP) is buying products locally and strengthening the domestic market.

Kabul, April 1st, 2012 — On March 31st, the Embassy of Canada hosted its first-ever blood drive in support of the Kabul Blood Bank. The drive was a great success and resulted in 100 units of blood donated to help Afghans.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Rona Ambrose, Minister for Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, today issued the following statement:

“March 8 is International Women’s Day. This day celebrates the achievements of women around the world, and focuses on what must be done to achieve greater equality.

“The recent Ulema Council’s statement represents a dramatic step backwards for Afghan women. We expect the Government of Afghanistan to uphold its constitution and to distance itself from these outrageous remarks.

Today, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, announced the details of Canada's support to the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide relief food assistance for drought-affected populations in Afghanistan.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and the Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today hailed a Canadian company’s winning bid for an important iron-ore mining contract in Afghanistan.

Kilo Goldmines, a Toronto-based company, has been awarded one of the four concession blocks of the Hajigak iron-ore deposit in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province, as announced by the Afghan Ministry of Mines.

"I am almost nine months pregnant, and during my pregnancy, I have never before been to any health facility for advice and support. Our nearest clinic was attacked and burnt around one year ago and now it is used as a military place," says Palwasha, a 19-year old Afghan woman.

28 October 2011 Perth, Australia

Prime Minister Harper today announced additional Canadian support to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). The announcement was made on the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Australia, where leaders reiterated their commitment to working together to put an end to this devastating disease.

On September 17, 2011, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched the National Immunization Days campaign, which is part of intensified efforts to wipe out polio from the country.

Thanks to these efforts, almost eighty-five per cent of Afghanistan is now deemed polio-free, and transmission of the virus is largely constrained to the south of the country.

Drop by drop – the river forms. This old Afghan proverb resonates even more with local farmers in Kandahar province who now can rely on their crops to feed their families and earn a living.

In May, the gates of the recently rehabilitated Dahla Dam were opened to fill the Arghandab River Irrigation System and bring water to thousands more hectares of agricultural land.