Oliver Blume, Chief Executive Officer of the Volkswagen Group, says: “Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. With this donation, we are providing rapid, unbureaucratic humanitarian aid for the people in the regions affected by the earthquake. The German Red Cross and the UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe are trusted partners that intensively tend to human suffering on site.”
Chief Human Resources Officer Gunnar Kilian says: “We are all deeply shocked by the pictures coming to us from Turkey and Syria. It is important to support the people who have lost everything, particularly in these difficult times. It therefore goes without saying that we as a company and a team will come together to offer targeted help.”
Chairperson of the General and Group Works Council, Daniela Cavallo, says: “There is great dismay at our sites, also because in many places our workforces have personal connections or even kinship with the regions affected by the earthquake. Just as many colleagues have asked us about the possibility of a joint donation. There is now.”
In addition to the one-million-euro donation from Volkswagen AG, the company, together with the Works Council, has also made it possible for employees to make a donation to help the people in Turkey and Syria via the intranet.
The means provided by the Volkswagen Group will serve to supply those in need, and will be used to distribute relief supplies and medical aid. At night time in particular, the temperatures in the affected regions currently drop below zero degrees Celsius, which is further exacerbating the situation on site. The expert teams from the organizations are providing accommodation, food and warm clothing. They are also supporting the rescue and recovery measures.