by Kyle Pakka
In the worldwide fight to slow the spread of COVID-19, Saudi Aramco is doing its part to ensure the world has access to the energy it needs while also protecting the health and safety of its people wherever they work and live.
Saudi Aramco is also reaching out to help support its neighbors and people in the larger community, mobilizing resources and providing support to important causes and charitable organizations in the Kingdom and in international locations where the company does business.
Saudi Aramco at home
Saudi Aramco is committed to supporting safe, healthy, and thriving communities in the Kingdom. As a company, Saudi Aramco has made significant contributions to support health care systems and personnel, and our employees have generously donated money to support important causes.
Saudi Aramco has donated SR200 million to the Health Endowment Fund of the Ministry of Health related to COVID-19 disruptions in the Kingdom. This donation, which ranks as the largest given by a Saudi company, provides ventilators in intensive care rooms, highly efficient air purification devices for quarantine, and protective tools for health practitioners and patients.
Our Corporate Citizenship Division launched an employee donation campaign, “Stay Home, Stay Safe,” to support national efforts by local charities to combat the COVID-19 outbreak in the Kingdom. The money donated by employees is targeted to help vulnerable populations, specifically widows and orphans.
The campaign has provided over 10,000 food, hygiene, and edutainment packages to this group across the Kingdom. To date, the campaign has collected more than SR5.5 million from more than 15,000 employees. Donations will be matched 100% by Saudi Aramco once the campaign is completed.
Saudi Aramco around the world
Saudi Aramco’s global offices are also doing their part to ensure the world has access to the energy it needs, and to help protect local communities from the spread of COVID-19. Together, our global offices have committed to contributing more than $3.5 million to support health care and disaster relief organizations.
Our Aramco Asia office facilitated donations of cash and critically needed medical supplies to the Red Cross Society in China. In South Korea, the office provided assistance to the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association.
Aramco Europe donated funds to Italy’s Fondazione Buzzi for intensive care units and other medical supplies.
Aramco Americas has donated money for medical services in cities where Aramco has research activities. In Detroit, home to one of our Global Research Centers, Dr. Xin He delivered more than 2,000 protective masks to Harper Hospital, which is playing a central role in the city’s coronavirus response. The masks were donated in part by the North American Association of Chinese Engine Engineers (NAACEE), a group Aramco supports.
Aramco Americas also ordered 30,000 KN95 masks for delivery to the City of Houston, where it has its headquarters; and Aramco’s subsidiary, the Motiva Refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, donated 1,200 PPE suits to the Regional Emergency Operations Center for COVID-19 testing sites across Southeast Texas. The office has created an employee fundraising and company matching initiative in support of the Houston Food Bank, and the staff of AramcoWorld magazine has provided classroom guides and other multimedia sources on cross-cultural themes to support online teachers.
At home and around the world, Aramco people are rising to the challenge of protecting themselves, each other and their communities while supplying the world with vital supplies of energy.
— The Arabian Sun: April 15, 2020 | Vol. LXXV, No. 16