Security threats will not deter a Toronto charity from bringing aid to the Horn of Africa where famine is putting millions of lives at risk.
Organizations from around the world are urgently trying to deliver aid to Somalia at a time when the UN says it cannot reach 2.2 million people in need because they are in militant-controlled areas.
Matt Capobianco, the emergency programs manager of GlobalMedic, said aid workers may face security threats in Somalia, but they will find a way to deliver help to people in need.
"There are regions of Somalia that are controlled by al-Shabab and some places are limiting access, some places are opening up access," Capobianco told CTV's Canada AM from Toronto on Friday morning.
"But we rely on our local partners to work with us and if there's an area that we can't work in, we'll work through our local partners to get things done."
Capobianco said his organization will soon deliver 1.15 million water purification tablets and sachets to the Horn of Africa, which can be used to make 11.5 million litres of water safe for people to drink.
"The tablets are the same type of tablets that we would use if we go camping up north," Capobianco said. "Use one tablet for 10 litres of water, it chlorinates the water, cleans it, and makes it safe people to drink so they are not getting sick."
Despite a severe drought that has contributed to the famine in the Horn of Africa, aid workers say there are some sources of water available near refugee camps in Kenya and some of the worst hit areas in Somalia.
But they must be clean enough for people to drink, especially for those who may already be suffering from malnourishment due to the ongoing famine.
Rahul Singh, the executive director GlobalMedic, said that there are currently 2.5 million malnourished children living in the Horn of Africa.
"Before our kids go back to school in September, just in a few weeks, 500,000 of those kids are going to die if we don't get them assistance," Singh told CTV News on Thursday.
The acute need in Somalia has captured the attention of Canadians who have already donated millions in aid.
"Canadians are starting to wake up a little bit to the crisis as it gets a little bit more media and it gets more press and people are starting to see it on the TV," said Capobianco.
Pointing to other emergencies in Haiti, Pakistan and Japan that Canadians responded to, Capobianco said he expected his fellow citizens to continue to reach into their pockets as the crisis in Somalia continues.
"That's what we do, we're generous and we support people in time of need. And that's what I hope we rise up and do in this crisis as well."
With a report from CTV's John Vennavally-Rao
