Ottawa: Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, has announced that the Government of Canada will match, dollar for dollar, the full $9,675,928 donated by individual Canadians to the #GiveAVax Fund through UNICEF Canada.
The funds will enable UNICEF to cover the per-person cost to transport vaccines to destination countries, keep vaccines viable by protecting the cold chain during the journey and train health care workers to effectively administer the vaccines and safely dispose of needles and waste.
Thanks to the generous contributions of individual Canadians, the full $19,351,857 (total of donations and match) will cover the costs of vaccinating over 3.8 million people around the world.
UNICEF Global is the procurement and delivery lead for COVAX, the vaccine pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, and together, these organizations are undertaking the world’s largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in human history. Contributions to UNICEF Canada’s fundraising campaign are supporting these efforts and ensuring that no vaccine dose goes to waste.
Sajjan said: “Canadians have shown time and again how generous they can be in times of need. With gratitude for our good fortune, we can reach out, give back and help others get their vaccine too.”
David Morley, President and CEO, UNICEF Canada, said: “Thanks to the exceptional generosity of Canadians, we are able to deliver millions of life-saving vaccines to front-line health workers and vulnerable populations in lower-income countries around the globe. Working together to urgently vaccinate the world is one of the most effective ways to help children, their families and their communities move beyond the pandemic.”