Foreign Affairs committee  Okay, absolutely. The project you described for poppy eradication absolutely sounds like the kind of program that MEDA has engaged in in Peru. It is a community-building process, where you do have to engage the whole community. Surprisingly, the people who grow poppies don't nec

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes. There's no easy answer; it's step by step. It's a painful process. Sometimes it's risky. I also want to mention something about Future Generations. It points to something very important. We come from North America. We want something to happen and we want it to happen now. W

Foreign Affairs committee  I think it's a very complex question. I can give a brief answer, but it does not pay justice to the question and to the over 40 young Canadians who have lost their lives in Afghanistan. There are certain areas in Afghanistan that are insecure. When I said I walked through the s

Foreign Affairs committee  In terms of the pressure from CIDA, we have been working in Afghanistan for three years, mainly in the central area and around Kabul. Of course, many partner organizations are working much more broadly in Afghanistan. They have very good programs. We're just getting our footprint

Foreign Affairs committee  In terms of poppy cultivation and economic development, you have to look at our farmers in Canada and say they could make more money from poppies or marijuana, so why aren't they growing it? Obviously if people have alternatives that will provide them with a living, they will pur

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. I'm here witnessing on behalf of MEDA, Mennonite Economic Development Associates. We're a non-governmental organization that has been implementing sustainable economic development programs internationally for over 50 years. We are known as leaders in micro-finance and