Lesson 23 — Activity 2:
Canada's Foreign Aid Projects


Warm Up


You now know a lot about why foreign aid is important to countries that are in need. In this activity, you will understand further the need for aid and review some specific foreign aid projects in which Canada participates.

Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) works towards a more peaceful and secure world, and it promotes our culture and values internationally. Foreign Affairs Canada administers its aid programs through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which works with public and private Canadian organizations and other international organizations. CIDA's focus is on social development, environmental sustainability, and governance in undeveloped nations.

The need for social development is clear when you consider the statistics below for just one year!


Health

  • Almost 10 million children under the age of 5 die from preventable illnesses.
  • About 3 million people die from HIV/AIDS.
  • About 2 million people die from tuberculosis.
  • About 1.2 million people die from malaria.
  • About 529,000 women die each year of causes related to childbirth.

education in development   

Education

  • More than 100 million children worldwide do not go to school.
  • Some 770 million people cannot read or write.
  • Most of these are girls and women.
  • Education systems are under-resourced.
  • Lack of education also results from poor health, conflicts, and distance.


The aim of social development programs is to provide medical treatment, basic education, child protection, as well as to promote economic well-being in undeveloped and developing nations.

Desertification

  • Desertification is when the land is turned into desert
  • About 30 percent of the earth's land surface is affected by desertification
  • Two hundred and fifty million people are directly affected by desertification.
  • Annual income loss due to desertification is approximately $45 billion.

desertification   

Programs that support the environment in poor countries are aimed at increasing food production. Desertification has turned farmland into desert. This is a result of droughts brought on by climate change and overuse of the land. The poor are at the greatest risk from desertification because they depend on their natural environment for food, shelter, and income. The earth's poorest people live on lands with very poor soil, especially in Africa, where they face famine, conflict, and a shortage of fresh water.

Any programs aimed at helping the environment focus on issues such as climate change, land use, and water supply to help developing nations maintain healthy ecosystems.
Governance refers to the way a nation is managed. A group's culture influences the processes through which a government is formed and how it operates when in power. Worldwide, there has been an increase in the number of nations that operate as democracies, which means that the government has to answer to its people.

 

Governance

  • strives for human rights, democracy, and good governance
  • supports gender equality
  • funds programs that benefit women directly


Democratic nations continue to work to establish societies that recognize and uphold the basic human rights of life, liberty, and security.