New Delhi: ArcelorMittal today said its charitable arm--ArcelorMittal Foundation--will donate $1,00,000 to help Haiti earthquake victims.
The money will be given to medical and humanitarian aid agency Medecins sans frontieres (MSF) that will use it for reducing morbidity and deaths among the affected population in the Ouest district of the Island.
"The foundation will donate $1,00,000 to enable this MSF-intervention which aims to address the needs of around 70,000 persons affected by the earthquake," the steel maker said in an emailed statement from Luxembourg.
"This is the first step taken by ArcelorMittal on a global level. We will also be encouraging other local initiatives to support the people of Haiti," ArcelorMittal Foundation Managing Director Felicidad Cristobal said.
The deadly earthquake, which rocked the island nation last Tuesday, has reportedly left over a lakh dead and impacted three million people.
"The decision was taken by the Group Management Board only two days after the devastating earthquake," the statement added.
The aid agency would strive to treat the injured, to provide primary health care to the affected population, to ensure follow up, prevention and treatment of potential epidemics diseases among others.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 18, 2010, 15:26