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The Coca-Cola System Donates $1.4 Million USD for Hunger Relief in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia


WEBWIRE

Funds Will Support Partnership to Alleviate One of the World’s Most Severe Food Catastrophes

NAIROBI and ATLANTA - The Coca-Cola Foundation, Coca-Cola’s Central East and West Africa Business unit, and Coca-Cola’s Africa-based bottling partners and employees today committed to donate KSh134 million (approximately $1.4 million USD) toward hunger relief efforts in the Horn of Africa. ‪‪ The grant will provide urgent humanitarian assistance through food, water, sanitation and health care services in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

At a meeting with the Kenya Red Cross, Ethiopia Red Cross and Somali Red Crescent, Nathan Kalumbu, Coca-Cola’s President for Central, East and West Africa, highlighted the need for deliberate and critical attention. ‪ “As a business with operations spanning across the Horn of Africa, we and our bottling partners strongly believe that the scale and magnitude of this crisis demands collaborative effort from all.”

According to a July report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), the Horn of Africa is experiencing the most severe food crisis in the world today. More than 12 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti are severely affected and in need of urgent life-saving assistance.

‪In Kenya, the Red Cross issued a national drought and emergency appeal at the beginning of the year to which Coca-Cola responded financially with a donation of KSh 3 million (approximately $32,000 USD). Since then, the Coca-Cola system has remained engaged in the greater Horn of Africa region with the aim of providing support to humanitarian agencies. ‪

Kalumbu and leaders of the various Coca-Cola bottlers in Kenya called on governments, civil society and the private sector to remain constructively discontent in an effort to find long-term solutions to the perennial problem. ‪ “None of us can do it alone, it is my firm belief that we should move quickly and work together to develop sustainable, home-grown solutions to this crisis.”‪

Kalumbu also commended the efforts of Kenya’s public and private sector for their immense contribution to those suffering in various parts of the nation. “Our values and culture have always stressed a responsibility to engage with communities. We recognize that to have a sustainable business, the communities we serve must be sustainable, and we believe we have a role to play in making this happen,” Kalumbu said. ‪

More than $1 million of the grant is being donated by The Coca-Cola Foundation directly to The American Red Cross in support of Red Cross and Red Crescent partners operating in the Horn of Africa. The funds will be administered by the Kenya Red Cross, Ethiopia Red Cross and Somalia Red Crescent for immediate trucking of water to affected areas and providing impacted communities with basic food and critical medicine with a special focus on children. ‪ Significant portions of the funds will be administered in Kenya as the country grapples with twin problems of its own food challenges as well at the support it is giving to its neighbor, Somalia.

About Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa Business Unit
Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa has its headquarters in Nairobi and covers 39 countries on the continent representing East and Central Africa, Southern Africa (excluding South Africa), the Horn and Islands, Nigeria and French West Africa. ‪‪

About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation has contributed more than $451 million in support of sustainable community initiatives worldwide. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_coke.html.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.



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