GUELPH/ERAMOSA – A group of local farmers gathered at the Barrie Hill United Church in Rockwood to discuss their efforts to end global hunger and the state of foreign aid assistance.
“We had a small but very engaged group,” stated Canadian Foodgrains Bank representative Henry Reinders.
The group represented four area growing projects including two from Rockwood, one near Arthur and another near Ancaster.
Paul Hagerman, public policy director at Canadian Foodgrains Bank working out of Winnipeg, was the guest speaker and talked about foreign aid and its impact around the world, the risks to foreign aid and responses to these risks.
“Foreign aid accomplishes a number of things including reducing poverty, improving resilience and reducing conflict, but most importantly, foreign aid saves lives,” he said.
The programming is delivered through 15 church members who work with trusted partners in the countries where they operate.
These are people who live in the communities, know the people and understand the context of the programming being done, added Reinders.
One of the key messages the organization wants to deliver is that foreign aid is accountable.
“Canadian Foodgrains Bank receives $25 million a year from the Canadian government and the reporting on the use of this money is rigorous,” stated Reinders.
“Each year, we have to show where the money was used, how it was used, how much was used for each project and many other details resulting in a very comprehensive report,” he explained.
The organization has accountants who visit the projects to review the spending and ensure that the money being spent is reaching the people it is intended to help.
“We know for certain that it is not getting into the hands of corrupt governments or terrorist organizations,” he said.
The recent cuts by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was a significant topic of interest to the audience.
According to Reinders, USAID was the largest supplier of humanitarian assistance in the world at $40 billion annually.
“Ninety-three per cent of the funding has been taken out of the picture,” he said.
Reinders notes other countries have also indicated cutbacks to foreign aid including Germany, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom.
Countries such as Korea, Japan, Italy and China have announced increases.
“What we don’t yet know is what Canada’s response will be,” he said. “There certainly have been rumblings of cuts during this election campaign.”
Hagerman noted, “while much of our donor base gives out of a sense of compassion and wanting to share our blessing with others, it is also important to recognize that foreign aid provides benefits to Canada.”
By reducing conflict and by making people secure in their homes, the world becomes a safer place and that is good for all of us, stated Reinders.
By continuing to support foreign aid, Canada’s reputation on the world stage is enhanced.
“We are encouraging our supporters to talk to candidates in their ridings about foreign aid and express support for Canada’s continued role as a world leader in this field,” Reinders said.
“It is important to let our MPs and candidates know that this is an issue of concern to us.”
