Disaster relief in Haiti and Pakistan

In order to provide help and contribute to the global humanitarian effort, Roche immediately donated medicine, but then also started the process of collaborating with local affiliates, the local authorities and relevant Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to define how Roche could make a meaningful longer-term contribution. This is in line with the company’s principles to provide sustainable support, as well as contributing towards projects that have a lasting effect and that can be maintained by local resources.

In Haiti, Roche supported the construction a model schools near the epicentre of the earthquake, in the towns of Léogane and Petit-Goâve.

In Léogane, a public primary school for 450 children was built and it has nine classrooms, a canteen area, two playfields and an administrative building. Reconstruction started in January 2011.

In Petit-Goâve the project was to rebuild a public school that houses 16 classes (about 1'000 pupils) in 8 classrooms, 1 Kindergarten, a canteen area and two playfields.

The Haiti schools rebuilding campaign was completed in 2012 in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SDC, which was founded more than 50 years ago. SDC provides humanitarian aid and longer-term development cooperation projects. Since 2005, the SDC Programme Office in Port-au-Prince formed the backbone of Swiss Humanitarian Aid operations and missions in Haiti.

The project in Pakistan started after the floods and is helping build a critically needed school in Jacobabad, one of the areas that was badly affected. Work is ongoing and the project should be completed by 2018.

The projected building ​will house 180 pupils and follows a standard design with six classrooms, a library, and art room and a lab.

Roche committed to provide the funds for the building, and work commenced in early 2011. Global employee donations were collected and managed by Re&Act. The support provided by Re&Act will help towards the reconstruction of the school and its extension, as well as the initial construction operations.

This work is done in partnership with The Citizens Foundation, TCF, which has conducted school construction and operations programmes in carefully selected areas of Pakistan for several years. Roche in Pakistan supported a similar project after the 2005 earthquake.

TCF is a professionally managed, non-profit organisation set up in 1995 by a group of citizens who wanted to bring about positive social change through education. Twenty years later, TCF is now one of Pakistan’s leading organisations in the field of education for the less privileged. TCF has educated more than 175,000 children (approx. 50% girls) in more than 1,200 school units.