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Maria Minna Pledges $300,000 for Flood Victims in Madagascar

Ottawa - Maria Minna, Canada's Minister for International Cooperation, today announced that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is pledging $300,000 for emergency relief to flood victims in Madagascar.
"Relief efforts have been made more difficult because of limited air and road transport," Minister Minna said. "We must ensure that adequate supplies are delivered quickly to as many people as possible."

The funds will help pay for the World Food Programme's delivery of emergency assistance such as food, shelter and medical supplies to approximately 130,000 people in several parts of the country. The government of Madagascar and the Malagasy Red Cross estimate that at least half a million people have been affected by the flooding that followed cyclones Eline and Gloria in late February. Of that number, 40,000 people need food immediately and another 200,000 will need substantial help to survive until the next harvest.

Today's $300,000 pledge will be drawn from the $12.2 million announced earlier this month to assistance flood victims in Mozambique and neighbouring countries. Funding for the initiative announced today was provided for in the February 2000 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.