In the past five years, Kimberly-Clark has responded with
corporate contributions, employee contributions, product donations
and volunteer efforts for a variety of disasters. Take a look at
how we've helped following earthquakes in Chile and Haiti and how
our donations following the Indonesian tsunami are still at
work.
Kimberly-Clark has a reputation for caring for the communities
where we live and work. One of the many times the company steps in
to provide aid is in the time of a disaster. Rarely do people need
financial and moral support and basic supplies more than when a
natural or manmade disaster strikes.
We at Kimberly-Clark recognize that people turn to us for help
when disasters strike the communities in which we operate. Manmade
and natural disasters can be devastating for our employees,
neighbors, business partners and customers. Kimberly-Clark is
committed to responding promptly and appropriately to help
communities return to normal as soon as possible.
In 2007, Kimberly-Clark joined the American Red Cross' Annual
Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) with a pledge of $1 million over
five years to support local, national and international disaster
preparedness and response programs.
The ADGP was created by the American Red Cross after Hurricane
Katrina as a result of lessons learned about the need for an annual
financial base to support preparedness so that they are ready when
the time comes for catastrophic disasters including pandemics,
natural disasters and terrorism. These funds enable the American
Red Cross to create and sustain initiatives that help provide for
the basic needs of those who suffer as a result of natural and
manmade disasters, give the organization stability to provide
innovative solutions, and allow it to proactively react to 21st
century emerging crises that the American public looks to them to
help.
In addition to our support of the American Red Cross, during the
past five years, Kimberly-Clark has responded with corporate
contributions, employee contributions, product donations and
volunteer efforts for a variety of disasters, a few of which were
of a magnitude that attracted more attention than others.
The earthquake in February in Chile
More than 1 million families found themselves in need of
assistance as a result of a before-dawn earthquake that struck
Chile on Feb. 27. The epicenter of the quake, registering 8.8 on
the Richter scale, was about 200 miles southwest of Santiago. Since
then, more than 300 aftershocks have shaken the country.
The first quake, followed by a tsunami, caused widespread damage
and more than 500 deaths. Six regions, home to some 80 percent of
the population of Chile, were affected by the quake. The government
declared these regions as "catastrophe zones." More than 500,000
homes were destroyed by the earthquake and resulting tsunami and
more than 2,750 schools and 35 hospitals had to be abandoned until
they are rebuilt. Power outages are a regular occurrence. The worst
affected areas are some of the poorest in the country. Roads have
been cut off, and entire villages in the coastal zones were wiped
out by the tsunami.
Kimberly-Clark responded on several fronts to provide aid to
those who have been affected, focusing on two key areas of
assistance: first, on the immediate needs of the earthquake
victims, and, second, on helping to heal the victims and rebuild
the affected areas of the country.
To help meet the immediate needs of the
victims:
- Through our nonprofit partner MedShare, the Kimberly-Clark
Foundation and Kimberly-Clark Latin American Operations jointly
sponsored the shipment of a large container of medical supplies to
Las Higueras Hospital in Talcahuano, Chile, with a combined
donation of $23,000. This shipment of supplies is valued at
approximately $140,000.
- Kimberly-Clark Argentina donated 1 million diapers for the
youngest disaster victims through five different local nonprofit
organizations.
- Kimberly-Clark employees in Chile have volunteered their time
to relief organizations in the area to provide assistance to those
in need.
To help meet the intermediate and long-term needs of the
victims:
- Our Latin American organization contributed $100,000 to the
nonprofit organization Un Techo para Chile (A Roof for Chile) for
the rebuilding of homes in the southern part of the country. Un
Techo para Chile is part of a network of similar organizations in
15 Latin American countries whose purpose it is to build
transitional housing for residents.
- The Kimberly-Clark Foundation contributed $100,000 to World
Vision, a humanitarian organization that is working in nearly 100
countries around the globe to combat the root causes of poverty and
respond quickly when disaster strikes. World Vision is launching a
national call-in helpline to address the psychosocial needs of the
Chilean people by providing support and follow-through to assist in
their recovery. World Vision also is establishing Child Friendly
Places in the region to help regain a sense of community as people
continue dealing with the traumatic effects of the disaster.
Commonly, in times of crisis, rates of violence rise and there is a
breakdown in the social structures of communities. By getting the
children out of harm's way, World Vision is able to help them
re-establish a social environment and begin to help them deal with
their anxieties.
- Kimberly-Clark employees in North and South America are able to
make contributions to support the post-disaster recovery effort in
Chile, particularly in the areas of child protection and
post-trauma management, through World Vision. Kimberly-Clark is
matching those contributions dollar for dollar, up to a total of
$200,000.
The earthquake in Haiti in February
On Jan. 12, large areas of the country of Haiti were devastated
by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake. The estimate of the death toll is
more than 200,000, with the threat of disease potentially
increasing that number. Tens of thousands of buildings are
destroyed. Meanwhile, the second stage of Haiti's medical emergency
has begun, with diarrheal illnesses, acute respiratory infections
and malnutrition beginning to claim lives by the dozen. Officials,
with an eye on the upcoming rainy season, have asked the
international community for tents and other temporary housing for
1.3 million homeless.
Kimberly-Clark has been providing and will continue to provide
support to organizations working to assist the survivors of this
disaster through a variety of mechanisms.
- Between Jan. 12 and March 17, through the Kimberly-Clark Haiti
Earthquake Relief Fund, our employees made individual and group
donations to the American Red Cross totaling approximately
$216,000. Kimberly-Clark matched those donations dollar-for-dollar
and made an additional one-time donation, bringing our total
financial support to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief to
about $600,000.
- Kimberly-Clark sponsored an 11-pallet shipment of medical
supplies, valued at $125,000, to the Good Samaritan Hospital in
Jimani, Dominican Republic, on the Haitian-Dominican Republic
border, through our nonprofit partner, MedShare. These supplies
were used to treat more than 1,800 earthquake victims. This was all
part of a bigger earthquake-relief effort on the part of MedShare,
which included sending 11 shipments of approximately 11,000 boxes
of requested medical supplies to partnering organizations doing
medical relief work in Haiti; outfitting 22 medical teams going to
Haiti with medical supplies; and offering free medical supplies to
medical teams going to serve in Haiti.
- Kimberly-Clark volunteers in the Dominican Republic have been
mobilizing donations of much-needed health care products, diapers,
feminine care and tissue products, valued at $50,000.
- Shortly after the disaster struck, His House Children's Home in
Miami Florida was notified that their services were needed to care
for more than 90 Haitian orphans who were in the process of being
adopted by U.S. families. They were to arrive in 24 hours.
Kimberly-Clark assisted with a donation of 28 cases of diapers and
four cases of wipes.
In both Chile and Haiti, Kimberly-Clark will continue to monitor
earthquake relief efforts and provide assistance where we can.
The tsunami that devastated Asia in late
2004
The December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake off the coast of
Indonesia triggered a massive tsunami that left nearly 230,000 dead
or missing and devastated communities. The tsunami caused immense
social, economic and environmental devastation to already poor
areas, which in some contexts also had been weakened by years of
conflict, and highlighted long-standing disparities of affected
populations.
Kimberly-Clark responded quickly with a contribution to support
the work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) of
$500,000. In addition, our employees from around the globe
contributed generously with contributions of $320,000 to benefit
UNICEF programs, which was matched by Kimberly-Clark with another
$500,000. In total, Kimberly-Clark and our employees contributed
$1.3 million to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for the benefit of tsunami
victims. Kimberly-Clark also made $600,000 in product
donations.
The aftermath
While UNICEF's initial response aimed to address the immediate
humanitarian needs of those affected by the tsunami, there also was
an opportunity to strategically address some of the gaps in access
to basic services and other forms of marginalization, such as
populations affected by conflict and other forms of discrimination.
In Indonesia, for example, UNICEF strategically targeted both
tsunami and conflict-affected populations with the aim of
consolidating peace and the understanding that not doing so would
create a potentially unsolvable disparity in access to
services.
In addition, the tsunami recovery programs faced a number of
challenges, including having to incorporate responses to new
emergencies along the way.
- Among multiple new crises, tsunami-affected areas in Myanmar
were again struck by cyclone Nargis in May 2008, affecting an
estimated 2.4 million people and causing considerable damage to
schools, health facilities and water and sanitation infrastructure.
Tsunami funding allowed UNICEF to respond immediately, providing
humanitarian assistance in tsunami-affected areas that also were
hit by the cyclone.
- Indonesia is prone to natural hazards and in September 2009 was
severely affected by a series of earthquakes in Java and West
Sumatra, particularly impacting water and sanitation infrastructure
and schools. UNICEF has been working with the government and
partners to provide humanitarian response.
- In Sri Lanka, the end of the Cease Fire Agreement in 2008 and
subsequent intensified conflict between the government and the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam further aggravated the situation
of already vulnerable populations and impacted the pace of tsunami
reconstruction efforts areas of the country.
- In Somalia, the political situation remains fragile and renewed
fighting has resulted in a steady deterioration of the security
situation and a reduction in humanitarian space.
Despite the constraints, recent evaluations of the impact of
UNICEF's response found that overall UNICEF had contributed to
'building back better' after the tsunami through the
re-establishment and development of infrastructure, improved
capacity development, and new or developed policy and programmatic
measures aimed at protecting the most vulnerable children and
improving their well-being.
Thanks to an unprecedented philanthropic response from the
international community (in excess of $14 billion pledged for the
relief and recovery of tsunami-affected countries, with more than
$5.5 billion of this coming from private sources), UNICEF has been
able to play a key role in restoring the well-being of
tsunami-affected populations, particularly children, and
contributing to their further development.
Five years later
Five years later, the majority of UNICEF tsunami programs have
been completed. Recovery programs ended in India in 2007 while
programs in Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar drew to a close in 2008
with continuing work handed over to national authorities or
integrated into existing programs. Reconstruction of health
centers, schools and water and sanitation systems gathered pace in
Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Maldives while being supported by major
capacity development initiatives. Somalia and Maldives have
integrated remaining tsunami recovery into ongoing programs, while
in Indonesia and Sri Lanka UNICEF will continue to support
reconstruction activities in health, education and water and
sanitation sectors through the end of 2010.
During times of a disaster, it is more important than ever that
Kimberly-Clark be a good neighbor in our communities.
