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| Emergency in Congo Hundreds of thousands are fleeing, desperately seeking safety from the fighting |
| Malnutrition: Children in Peril |
| Nutrition and Food Security |
| Star Appeal: Reducing Malaria’s Deadly Toll |
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Mai Hosoi, ERTeam member in Myanmar 
While our Emergency Response Team is there to help people survive an immediate humanitarian crisis, the rest of our work focuses on assisting refugees build a new life. Here are just a few examples of how we are helping people to start again.
In this issue, we focus on UNHCR's Funding Partnerships.
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PwC CEO Sam Di Piazza, Jr (right) presents a $4 million cheque to UNHCR officials in New York to support the education of Darfur's refugee children in eastern Chad. © PwC/B.Link |
Darfur: The Power of Ten 
The international consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers found a unique way to celebrate its tenth anniversary by helping refugees in Darfur. The company mobilized employees and regional offices in an on-line appeal called the Power of Ten, which raised more than $4 million dollars worldwide so that UNHCR can provide education for young refugees in the camps in Eastern Chad.
Read the full story on the UNHCR International site.
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Run-Down Neighbourhood: The Baro families are living in cramped conditions on the edge of town with no sanitation or running water. © UNHCR/M.-H.Verney |
The Canadian International Development Agency has pledged $3 million dollars to UNHCR to provide health services, education and documentation assistance to the internally displaced of Colombia. Bev Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, visited UNHCR projects outside Bogota this summer to see how the money will be used to help thousands who have fled their homes to escape violence.
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The Together for Shelter campaign was launched Fall 2008 to invite supporters of the UN Refugee Agency to reach out to others to help provide shelter to refugees. Participants recruited their relatives and friends using letters which explain the important role UNHCR plays in providing essentials like tents, tarps and kitchen sets. The campaign has been a hit and we are already more than halfway to our goal. But you still have a chance to participate. Go to www.unhcr.ca for the details on how you, too, can join Together for Shelter.
Reducing Malaria’s Deadly Toll An interview with Mr. Abraham ABRAHAM, UNHCR Representative in Canada Q Mr. Abraham, you have a special sympathy for refugees suffering from malaria. A I had malaria as a child growing up in Tanzania, and I can still remember how sick I was. Your head is vibrating with pain, and you have nausea, so you get really weak. It is a serious disease, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, as we explained in our 2008 Star Appeal, prevention and treatment options are effective and inexpensive. That is why I am dedicated to getting out the message that every gift counts in our efforts to save lives. Q Why is it so common among refugees? A I have been posted in many countries where malaria is endemic, like in Somalia, Guinea and Rwanda. In those places, people are often malnourished so they have less resistance to disease. Also, due to land scarcity, we have to put camps on land nobody wants, often in low-lying marshy areas where mosquitoes can breed. Q How does UNHCR fight malaria? A We believe the best way to tackle malaria is through prevention. That’s why we must have our plan in place before an attack. We have to stockpile medications, making sure they are not past their expiry date, in our health clinics. We need the ability to quickly fill in holes where stagnant water accumulates and mosquitoes breed. We need to distribute more insecticide-treated nets and to spray insecticide safely in the camps. Q How does donor support help? A Donor support makes an enormous difference. This malaria appeal is one of our survival projects or emergency funds to help us deal with life-saving situations. Donor support in Canada allows us to build up supplies to prevent and prepare for an outbreak and to replenish our emergency stocks. Without this help, we could not possibly assist as many people with malaria. For more information: www.unhcr.ca/starappeal
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