An organization of our size and with our reputation has a duty to respond actively to events such as these, and a dedication to making a difference in our communities runs through our culture. All this has led us to consider very carefully how we put our resources and skills to work.
In the past raising and distributing money - through firm-wide and individual donations - has been the focus of our disaster relief efforts. We raised US$16.3 million globally and distributed these funds to aid with natural disasters – Japan tsunami, Pakistan floods and earthquake, Haiti earthquake, China earthquake and Asian tsunami.
But in recent years we’ve learned something else too: if we apply our skills as well our money, we can make an even greater, more lasting difference. And the most effective way of applying our skills is in partnership with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They have vast expertise, operations on the ground and a global reach and outlook to match our own. Working alongside them we can help alleviate suffering, promote economic development and rebuild communities quickly and sustainably.
We have been involved in many disaster relief projects, from Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis to the devastating earthquakes that hit China and Pakistan and more recently Haiti. You can read more details about our disaster relief strategy and how we are aligning our skills to these events by reading our disaster relief report.