Aid for tsunami victims

The whole world is in shock over the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia. Many individuals and firms are offering assistance to the stricken countries. DSM also wants to help. At a corporate level DSM has donated money to the overall relief fund, but we would also like to stimulate and support initiatives of DSM employees who want to offer financial or practical help.

One of the initiatives taken is an action by the DSM Anti-Infectives business group. DSM Anti-Infectives is busy providing bulk active ingredients for antibiotics for free in Sri Lanka, Thailand, India and Indonesia. After consultation with the World Health Organization, the immediate need for antibiotics such as Amoxicillin and Ampicillin in the disaster-struck areas was stressed. Amoxicillin and Ampicillin are so-called broad-spectrum antibiotics, medicines used for combating bacterial infections. Bacterial infections, such as various eye, ear, respiratory or urinary tract infections are an immediate health risk in the tsunami struck areas due to polluted (drinking) water, poor hygiene and sanitation facilities and indirectly a shortage of food. DSM Anti-Infectives is the world’s leading producer of Amoxicillin and Ampicillin in bulk and decided to help. The bulk ingredients are donated to local producers of formulated antibiotics, in coordination with local Ministries of Health in the abovementioned countries. These will take care of the co-ordination and guarantee the distribution of the final medicines to the relevant aid organizations. The amount of the formulated products provided by DSM Anti-Infectives can help 12 – 15 million people in the coming three months.

Water4life started as the drinking straw dream under the DSM centennial anniversary activity 'sharing our dreams, sharing our talents'. The aim of water4life is to create a cheap solution for daily household drinking water purification in the underdeveloped regions in the world. The DSM Water Purifier is the result of the work done over the last 2 years.

The DSM Water Purifier combines a commercially available filtration technology with a new application concept, using a manually operated pump to pressurize the water filter. This new and innovative solution is distinctively different from other available water filters.

With Water4life DSM provides its technical expertise and experience in filtration technology and industrial production and works closely together with Novib Oxfam Netherlands as well as local NGO’s in the target countries.

To aid the victims of the tsunami in their rebuilding efforts, DSM will speed up the Water4life initiative and ensure that a local production facility for the water purifier will be ready in India within 3 months. From this facility purifiers will be made available to aid the tsunami victims in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. We will ensure quality and therefore will take the time needed to set this operation up with the necessary care.

Once operational the facility will make 500 filters available per day; each filter can support 10-15 people in their daily need for safe drinking water.