With special corporate, government and UN-designated “days” and “weeks” covering most of the year’s calendar, these occasions become easier to ignore, particularly as media interest wanes and public fatigue grows. The observation of some particularly important days and weeks have become lost in the jumble of silliness that are Carrot Cake days and National Picnic month (Feb. 3 and the month of August respectively, in case you were curious…). But for Canadians, International Development Week (Feb. 2-8) isn’t one we should allow to slip off the radar like we should with say, National Peanut Butter and Jelly day.
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| Crossroader Sarah Landry (right) at APROFES in Senegal. |
Twenty-four years ago CIDA, now the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), reserved the first full week of February to explore how Canada and Canadians are making a difference internationally. Especially now, at a time when the future of Canada’s development plans seems uncertain, and funding is dwindling, Canadians need to speak up loud and clear in their support of the role our country and our NGOs play in making a real and lasting difference.
Without the support and interest of Canadians, our country’s contributions to international development move down the list of priorities. Did you know that last year $370 million was cut from Canada’s aid budget? You can help make International Development Week (IDW) count by:
* Signing the national petition to protect the aid budget
* Visiting the DFATD IDW pages and submitting your photos and stories of the importance and successes of international development;
* Sharing your experiences with Crossroads on Facebook and Twitter;
* Supporting Canada’s NGOs working in international development;
* Keeping friends and family informed of the importance of Canada’s contributions to international development.
Don’t let IDW get bumped from the calendars, keep this week relevant and make it front of mind for the Canadian government and the general public!
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