ADRA CANADA IN THE NEWS

ADRA Canada was recently featured in a special section of the newspapers of the Durham Region Media Group in Ontario. For details visit: http://www.durhamregion.com/images/dr/pdf/africaapril06.pdf

ADRA CANADA SUPPORTS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Seventh-day Adventist church members respond to the needs of people in times of disaster through the volunteer network of churches. However, an emergency of any significance would find them poorly prepared to assist in an organized manner.

ADRA Canada has prepared a booklet entitled Are You Ready? - Personal Emergency Preparedness. This is a first step to ensure that ADRA Canada supporters and Seventh-day Adventist churches are prepared to respond to the needs of people in a time of disaster. The booklet addresses personal preparedness at the individual and family level. Being prepared for a disaster brings two immediate benefits:

1. Individuals will not be such a burden on Emergency Services, the Red Cross and other responders. This will allow resources to be used more effectively and efficiently.

2. Individuals will be in a better position to assist in a local response.

To order your copy (or additional copies) of Are You Ready? call ADRA Canada at 1.888.274.2372 or email ntrent@adra.ca. ADRA Canada will fill orders while quantities last.

For further information on Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Management, visit http://www.adra.ca/disaster/canada.asp

CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK NEWS RELEASE

(Rome, Italy, November 1, 2006) This week in Rome, Canada dropped the ball on global hunger. Canadian aid officials said they 'couldn't make it' to the major UN meeting at the half way point in the 20 year campaign to halve global hunger. This meeting is intended to review progress and re-ignite efforts to reduce hunger.

"It's disappointing," says Stu Clark, in Rome representing Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a non-profit organization working to end hunger in developing countries. "Ten years ago, at the World Food Summit, Canada played a major role at the Summit, with hundreds of Canadians involved. The official Canadian delegation included cabinet ministers, politicians and bureaucrats. We heard a passionate commitment from Canada that year and we were hopeful that our contribution to ending hunger would grow. Ten years later, the strong voice has been diminished to barely a whimper."

Ten years ago, with 185 countries pledging support, cutting global hunger in half seemed feasible within 20 years. Now the marker has moved. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported this week that perhaps by 2050 the number of hungry people might be halved. With the numbers increasing at the rate of four million per year, current estimates are that 820 million people are hungry in developing countries.

According to FAO's report, a commitment to rural development is crucial in the fight against hunger. Despite this, however, Canada and other rich countries have continued to largely ignore the economy of rural areas in developing countries where most hungry people live.

There are a few bright spots at the meeting in Rome, however. While the well-fed have largely chosen to avoid the inconvenient truth of their failures, the hungry have shown up at the table this time around. The direct representatives of the hungry in developing countries - small farmers, farm worker unions, indigenous peoples groups, artisanal fishers - are, for the first time, being allowed to take the floor. They are explaining, to anyone listening, the straight-forward steps that will help them feed themselves.

"The voices of the poor are being articulated this time around," says Clark, Senior Policy Advisor for the Foodgrains Bank, "but will anyone hear? Canadian decision makers won't because they 'couldn't make it'."

===== Find additional information about ADRA Canada at www.adra.ca. ADRA Canada is part of the ADRA network, which is present in more than 100 countries providing community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age or ethnicity.

Thank you for your support!

Sources: Nick Trent, Canadian Foodgrains Bank Media Contact: James Astleford

ADRA Canada, 1148 King St E, Oshawa, ON, L1H 1H8, Canada. jrla@adra.ca ~ www.adra.ca ~ Tel: +1.905.433.8004 ~ Fax: +1.905.723.1903

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