Canada pledges funds for Aceh

Canada pledges funds for Aceh

INDONESIA: Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia Randolph Mank will
launch a Canadian $6.7 million (US$5.3 million) fund for Aceh's
reconstruction during his visit to Banda Aceh on Tuesday and
Wednesday, the Canada Embassy said in a media release on Monday.

Some CAD 2.95 million (US$2.35 million) of the money is slated
to be used for the rehabilitation of the Ar-Raniry State
Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Banda Aceh. The money
will be used to rebuild institute facilities that were destroyed
by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The project represents a continuation of
a fifty-year-long relationship between McGill University and
Indonesia's state institutes for Islamic studies.

Mank will also visit the governance reform support project,
which is supported by the Canadian government. The project, worth
CAD 800,000 (US$636,664), involves the provision of training on
financial management standards and the implementation of a fully
computerized financial management system for Aceh province. The
ambassador will also launch a micro credit program for small- and
medium-enterprises in Aceh, particularly those run by women. This
project, valued at CAD 3 million (US$2.4 million), will provide
the technical and financial support needed to set up or support
small enterprises.

Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency,
has committed CAD 425 million for reconstruction and
rehabilitation work in the countries and regions affected by the
tsunami, including Aceh. -- JP