The Dow Chemical Company announced that it will contribute $5 million to the relief efforts under way for victims of the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunamis in Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent.
The announcement came on the company’s Web site, www.dow.com.
“As we’ve all seen, the reports and images from the tsunami-stricken regions in Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent are at once incomprehensible and heart-breaking,” Andrew Liveris, Dow president and chief executive officer said. “At times like these, we all struggle to come up with meaningful ways to contribute and help those who have lost so much.”
Dow is responding to the disaster with a pledge of $5 million in aid, which includes:
A $1 million monetary contribution to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which is dedicated to providing immediate, vital help to the victims in need.
Up to $1 million in matching individual contributions from Dow’s more than 40,000 employees and 70,000 retirees around the world.
An additional $3 million comes in the form of vital products, technology and funds to assist in the longer-term reconstruction efforts. Dow will work with governments, agencies and other interested parties in the affected areas to determine how best to provide support.
“Through these efforts, we hope to be able to provide tangible and meaningful aid to the survivors, in both the immediate days ahead and into the future, as they begin to rebuild their homes, their communities and their lives,” Liveris said.
Noting that Dow has a long-standing presence in Asia, he added, “While no Dow operations were directly impacted by the tsunamis, it is important to support the region at this difficult time. The people of Dow are known for their community outreach. Nowhere is that outreach needed more than in these villages, towns and rural communities affected by this natural disaster.”
Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $33 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 180 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its approximately 46,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities.