KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Victims of the earthquake in Haiti are getting a little help from Canadians deployed to Afghanistan.
Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, the top military commander in Kandahar, presented the Canadian Red Cross with a cheque for $12,699 Monday afternoon.
Menard handed over the cheque in front of a memorial for fallen soldiers at Kandahar Airfield.
"I'm extremely proud of the contribution to this effort," he said.
"It clearly demonstrates what our soldiers are all about."
The money, which was raised by members of the armed forces and civilians serving in Afghanistan, will help the survivors of the massive quake that killed some 217,000 people and demolished Port-au-Prince and surrounding villages.
Canadians have poured donations into the devastated country, to the tune of $145 million so far, with $124 million to be matched by Ottawa.
Haiti is also one of the highest beneficiaries of Canadian development funds in the world, second only to Afghanistan.
The donation comes as Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to visit Haiti.
Harper is due to land in Port-au-Prince aboard a Canadian military transport plane for the start of a two-day visit this afternoon.
