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