Syrian humanitarian aid efforts get another $2M from Canada

Canada is contributing $2 million to help Syrian refugees who are flooding into Jordan.

The money is intended to help a number of non-governmental organizations provide humanitarian assistance for the refugees.

CARE Canada is providing 2,500 unregistered Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanian households with emergency shelter, food and non-food products.

Save the Children Canada is providing access to education and other support to 9,000 Syrian and Jordanian children living in overburdened host communities.

Handicap International is addressing the immediate health and protection needs of 7,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. It is working with the most vulnerable, such as the elderly and people with injuries, disabilities, and chronic illnesses.

The money will also pay for a Canadian expert to work with UNICEF in dealing with the refugees.

Canada's help increasing

Since January 2012, Canada has providedmore than $48 million for humanitarian assistance in Syriaand neighbouring countries, the government says.

"Canada continues to support the efforts of our humanitarian partners to address the needs of displaced Syrians across the region," Ted Menzies, minister of state for Finance, said in a news release.

"Canada commends Jordan and other neighbouring countries for taking in so many displaced families, giving them safety and the hope of returning home one day."

Since early 2011, unrest in Syria has driven an estimated 1.4 million people to seek refuge in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt.

It is estimated that 6.8 million people, close to a third of the Syrian population, are in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.

To date, the ongoing fighting is believed to have killed about 80,000 people and injured thousands of others.