Fortum Oyj : to support Save the Children’s Covid-19 relief work in India .

FORTUM CORPORATION ONLINE NEWS 28.6.2021

Fortum donates one hundred thousand euros to support the Save the Children organisation's efforts to help children and families suffering from the Covid-19 crisis in India.

The second Covid-19 wave has ravaged India throughout the spring. The health care services are under extreme pressure, and restriction measures have interrupted children's education. As a result of the situation, the people have no access to basic services, and the consequences impact children in particular. The need for help in India is acute, and the need for support will continue for a long time.

'Covid-19 pandemic further weakens the situation of the most marginalised families, and many children in India have lost the adults who take care of them. Through its donation, Fortum is contributing to the Save the Children organisation's effort to bring help to where it is most needed,' says Fortum's Vice President of Sustainability Ulla Rehell.

Save the Children uses donations to help children and families in India survive in the midst of the crisis. The donated funds support the operations of clinics and hospitals by ensuring that children and the families in the worst situation receive vital services, food, monetary aid, and hygiene supplies. In particular, the aid targets those children whose parents or caregivers have become ill or have died by offering them psychosocial support, identifying these children and supporting the arrangements for their alternative care.

'The Covid-19 pandemic has had - and will have - a huge impact on the lives of children specifically in the most vulnerable regions. Many children have lost one or both of their caregivers. Many are left outside the educational system and end up being exploited in harmful child labour or getting married too young. When more families slip below the poverty line, the plight of the most disadvantaged families worsens,' says Anne Haaranen, International Programme Director from Save the Children; and adds: 'We are extremely thankful for Fortum's support and that it wants to help children in India through the Covid-19 aftermath.'

Save the Children is the world's leading independent organization for children.

Fortum started its operations in India about 10 years ago. Fortum's operations in India are focused on solar power.

Fortum Corporation
Communications

Further information:
Paula Varhe, Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, [e-mail], [phone]

Fortum's Corporate Social Responsibility:
https://www.fortum.com/about-us/sustainability/our-people-society/csr

Save the Children Finland
Save the Children Finland is a politically and religiously independent non-governmental organization founded in 1922, which fights for children's rights in order to immediately and permanently improve children's lives in Finland and all over the world. Save the Children Finland is part of the Save the Children organization, which operates in over 100 countries to improve children's lives. Our vision is a world where every child has the right to live, to be protected, to develop and to participate. Our mission is to improve the way children are treated and to immediately and permanently improve children's lives. www.savethechildren.fi