The Free Methodist Church in Canada

World Relief Canada is affiliated with The Free Methodist Church in Canada

World Relief Canada will significantly expand its humanitarian relief work in South Darfur, Sudan, due to a $1.5 million grant just awarded from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). WRC is currently spearheading a multi-sector rehabilitation program with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and Tearfund UK, its partners in the Southern Darfur Ed Daein Emergency Response Program. The grant will allow World Relief Canada to increase its involvement and expand this program in one of the most troubled regions in the world.

In March 2009, 16 relief agencies operating in the area were expelled or shut down, leaving large portions of the population even more vulnerable to hunger, malnutrition and disease. The remaining relief agencies are working hard to meet the needs of the population in this already under-served area.

"Because we are already there, and were allowed to remain in South Darfur, this grant from CIDA at this time is incredibly important for the people we serve in Sudan," says Laurie Cook, CEO of World Relief Canada. "It allows us to build on what we are already doing and work with our partners to help even more of the world's most vulnerable people."

The project will concentrate on supporting the most vulnerable children, women and men in Ed Daein town, IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps around Ed Daein and the host and IDP communities to the south of Ed Daein, a combined population of over 563,000 people. The project will focus on increasing access to safe water supply and sanitation, reducing malnutrition, improving health and hygiene and offering support to women and children affected by the civil conflict that has raged for years.

World Relief Canada is grateful for CIDA's support for the work they do in the Sudan, and acknowledges the essential role of partnerships in the work of relief and development, especially in a situation as complex as that of Southern Darfur.

World Relief Canada urgently needs your support for the need in Southern Darfur.

To donate online go to www.wrcanada.org/donate or call 1-800-567-8190 toll-free.