Canadian organizations are being forced to cut or close humanitarian projects after the government unexpectedly suspended funding for more than 200 aid groups.
Street Kids International, which focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention, will shut down all its existing projects in Africa and begin laying off staff following an abrupt announcement by the Canadian International Development Agency in February.
– If they had given us some notice, then you could have actually put funding in place to allow those programs to continue for a period of time. With the short timeframe, you can not do that, said executive director Rosemary McCarney Monday adding: – We will have to end the programs that we are doing in Africa as of June 30.
Two paragraphs posted on the agencys Web site served as a warning that project proposals were no longer being accepted to two programs designed to fund small- and medium-size nongovernmental organizations.
Up to 215 organizations, including Canadian Food for the Hungry and World Wildlife Fund, tap into the 15 million dollar set aside for the NGO Project Facility and the Environment and Sustainable Development Program each year.
New funding is frozen while both programs are reviewed by an independent consultant to determine how well smaller, piecemeal projects fit into Canadas sweeping new aid scheme.
Announced in March, the plan will see Canada deliver more, focused aid to fewer countries through a growing partnership with the private and government sectors.
Kilde: The Push Journal
