In the face of the massive humanitarian crisis in Swat, we decided to take action and do our bit to help.
We made a donation of Rs 2 million toward the relief effort for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) through our ICI Pakistan Foundation. The cheque was handed over by Chief Executive Waqar A Malik, to Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmad, Chairman of the Special Support Group for IDPs at a brief ceremony held at the PM's Secretariat at Islamabad. We also pledged a contribution of one million rupees to support various relief activities, with support being extended through NGOs such as Karavan Pakistan (Heritage Foundation), CARE Foundation and Hum Pakistani, all of whom are actively involved at the grass roots level to ensure widespread assistance to all IDPs.
Much of this support involves organizing volunteers' activities and running schools in the relief camps, amongst other relief efforts. In addition to these monetary contributions, our employees initiated a Collection Drive, with donations of food items, clothing, medicine and other miscellaneous goods being accepted at Collection Points set up at all major locations of ICI Pakistan Limited across the country.
Volunteers gathered at our Karachi Head Office to organize and pack these goods into cartons in preparation for transport to an IDP camp in Mardan. Support was also provided to a group of IDPs settled in Karachi.
Similarly employees at our Lahore locations came forward as volunteers to support this initiative and donated sewing machines, kitchen utensils, water coolers, stitched/unstitched clothes, medicines, toys for children, baby food, etc. ICI Paints employees alone donated Rs. 50,000 in the form of cheques.
Our Soda Ash business also provided financial support to the IDPs. Syed Raza Mehdi Zaidi, Works Manager Soda Ash Business, handed over a cheque for Rs 200,000 to District Coordination Officer Nasim Nawaz at the DC Office Jhelum
Collected goods were handed over to Mir Wali Shah, representative of Karavan Pakistan (Heritage Foundation) by Shafatullah, RSM Life Sciences business Peshawar who travelled to Mardan for the occasion. Karavan Pakistan then distributed the goods among the IDPs according to their needs.