GE Foundation Provides More Grants to Address Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of General Electric Company, will provide CARE and two other organizations a total of $2.1 million in emergency grants directed toward humanitarian efforts for the impacted population in the Darfur region of Sudan. CARE, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and UNICEF will each receive $700,000.
"The violence and brutality committed against people in the Darfur region is appalling and no responsible citizen, corporate or otherwise, can condone it," said Bob Corcoran, vice president of corporate citizenship at GE and president of the GE Foundation. "Our expectation is that these grants will provide important support to those organizations working to address the existing crisis in the region and assist the millions of people affected by this conflict."
CARE, IRC and UNICEF will utilize the grants to help meet the health, nutrition, water, sanitation, emergency and other needs of the displaced residents in the region. The grants will allow the agencies to continue their existing activities in response to the escalating humanitarian crisis in the region. Current activities include the furnishing of temporary shelter, sanitary facilities, potable water, health services and food aid, with the goal to reduce child and maternal mortality and malnutrition rates.
"The GE Foundation's commitment to the people of Darfur is a model for corporate engagement in humanitarian response," said Dr. Helene D. Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. "The contribution provides life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of devastated people. Just as important, it focuses international attention on a crisis many others have forgotten."
Over the past two years, the GE Foundation has contributed $4.1 million to humanitarian organizations responding to the crisis in Darfur, $1.45 million of it to CARE. Over the same period, the Foundation has contributed $815,000 to support CARE's work in basic and girls' education in the West African nation of Ghana.About the GE Foundation
The GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of the General Electric Company, works to strengthen educational access, equity, and quality for disadvantaged youth globally, and supports GE employee and retiree giving and involvement in GE communities around the world. In 2006, the GE family of businesses, employees, retirees and GE Foundation contributed more than $219 million to community and educational programs, including $89 million from the GE Foundation. For more information, visit www.gefoundation.com.
Media Contacts:
Atlanta: Rick Perera, CARE USA, rperera@care.org, (404) 979-9453, (404) 457-4649
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