• CIDA grant to help improve water and sanitation systems for more than 422,000 patients
• Children and families still at risk from the cholera epidemic which has killed more than 4,000
• World Vision Canada President and CEO Dave Toycen in Zimbabwe on a fact-finding mission

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (April 6, 2009) — World Vision, Zimbabwe’s largest humanitarian agency, received more than half a million dollars from the Canadian government to improve water supplies and sanitation at clinics and hospitals fighting the cholera epidemic in the country. According to the WHO, the death toll from the water-borne disease has shown signs of slowing down but there is still need to remain vigilant and to continue and reinforce the control measures already in place.

“The figures are tapering off but what is worrying is that there are many more deaths that go unreported. Thanks to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), World Vision can take proactive steps to prevent the spread of cholera and help improve the lives of children and families in Zimbabwe,” said Dave Toycen, president and CEO of World Vision Canada.

Toycen is in Zimbabwe from April 5-10 to meet with government officials and international aid agencies on a fact-finding mission. He will see how World Vision can further help the country, which has been struggling under an economic crisis that includes hyper-inflation, unemployment of around 90 per cent and severe shortages of basic goods and services.

The $510,000 grant from the CIDA will benefit more than 422,000 patients in the three provinces—Mudzi, Murehwa, Mutoko—in northeastern Mashonaland East district of Zimbabwe. World Vision will focus on rehabilitating water supply systems, development of new water points and the provision of water storage, in addition to supporting regular testing of water quality. In the area of sanitation, World Vision will repair and build new latrines, construct pits for the safe disposal of medical waste and educate community members in and around the hospitals and clinics about health and hygiene, treatment of water-borne diseases and HIV and AIDS prevention.

World Vision has just completed a project funded by CIDA in Bulawayo district in southwestern Zimbabwe to also address water supply issues and sanitary concerns. In January, it airlifted a shipment of more than $4 million in donated cholera medications to Zimbabwe with the Canadian government’s support.

World Vision is leading a coordinated response to the cholera situation by providing medical supplies, drilling boreholes and distributing non-food items such as soap, jerry cans and oral rehydration solution sachets to affected areas in Mashonaland Central, Bulawayo and Matabeleland South.

World Vision also continues to distribute food aid to more than one million people in the country where more than five million Zimbabweans are food insecure and in urgent need of food aid. Those wishing to help people in humanitarian crisis such as the one in Zimbabwe can visit WorldVision.ca to donate to a general emergency fund or call 1-800-268-5528.

- 30 -

Note:

• In addition to Zimbabwe, World Vision has received $515,000 for water and sanitation projects in Somalia and $475,000 for water and sanitation projects for schools in Uganda from CIDA.
  
• The death toll from the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe has passed 4,000 mark and more than 93,000 cases have been reported since August 2008 according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) report in March.
  
• World Vision has been working in Zimbabwe since 1973. Currently 74,000 children are sponsored through World Vision’s programs, including 10,000 supported by Canadians.
  
• World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.

To interview Dave Toycen, World Vision Canada president and CEO, or regional staff, please contact:

Yoko Kobayashi
905-565-6200 ext. 2151
416-671-0086 (cell)
yoko_kobayashi@worldvision.ca

Alex Sancton
905-565-6200 ext. 3949
416-419-1321 (cell)
alex_sancton@worldvision.ca