Ascott donates to disaster victims
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Singapore, 19 November 2009 – CapitaLand’s wholly-owned business unit, The Ascott Group Limited (Ascott), and CapitaLand’s philanthropic arm, CapitaLand Hope Foundation, have donated a total of S$120,000 and other relief aid to victims of the Sumatra earthquake that hit Padang, Indonesia and those affected by Typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines and Vietnam in September.
The funds are donated equally to Gawad Kalinga in the Philippines and Dompet Dhuafa Foundation in Indonesia to help children who were affected by Typhoon Ketsana and the Padang earthquake respectively. The contribution to Gawad Kalinga will be used to provide children with meals, medicine, vaccination, clothing, school books and other essential items. Dompet Dhuafa Foundation will use the funds to construct emergency schools in Padang for children affected by the earthquake. Each of these temporary schools can accommodate up to 240 children. These temporary schools will help to minimise the disruptive impact on the school curriculum arising from the earthquake, by enabling the children to continue with their studies for up to a year until a new permanent school is built.
The total contribution includes the funds raised by Ascott from its residents and employees in Indonesia, the Philippines and around the world. CapitaLand Hope Foundation, which focuses on supporting the education, healthcare and shelter needs of underprivileged children, contributed S$60,000 and also matched the donations from Ascott dollar-for-dollar to contribute a total of S$90,000.
Mr Tony Soh, Ascott’s Chief Corporate Officer said: “Our heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to those who have lost their family members and homes in the tragedies. We are indeed touched to see Ascott’s employees and residents respond so enthusiastically to the call to help those whose lives have been severely affected by the Padang earthquake and Typhoon Ketsana. Supporting disaster relief efforts is one of the ways Ascott aims to do our part for the communities we operate in. Together with the strong support from CapitaLand Hope Foundation, we hope that our contribution will provide some comfort to the victims during this very difficult period and help them rebuild their lives as quickly as possible.”
Besides the Philippines and Indonesia, Ascott also extended emergency relief to Vietnam where it donated 500 cases of purified water through the Red Cross to people affected by Typhoon Ketsana.
Through the years, Ascott has embarked on several community initiatives including disaster relief efforts to assist the victims of various natural calamities in the many countries in which it operates. In February this year, Ascott raised funds to help the survivors of one of Australia’s worst bushfires which hit the state of Victoria. Ascott also contributed funds and necessities in aid of those affected by the earthquake in Sichuan, China, and Cyclone Nargis which struck Myanmar in May last year.
This year, Ascott marked its 25th Anniversary with over 25 community initiatives worldwide. These activities range from supporting the educational needs of underprivileged children to funding their medical treatment.
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