Chevron pledge more to the Global Fund, now lead in private sector support

The oil industry needs a shot in the arm wherever it can find it right now, especially when it comes to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in the wake of a year that has featured the BP disaster and added scrutiny about the ethics of the industry on the whole. Chevron to that end have made another significant step in the right direction with this weeks announcement that they will pledge a remarkable sum to assist with various health related programs in developing nations over the coming twelve months.

The Chevron Corporation announced that an additional $25 million commitment to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to support global health programs in developing nations. This is on the back of the fantastic $30 million pledge that they made in 2008 toward the organization for various programs in Asia and Africa. Continuing and expanding upon existing efforts will earmark much of the newly donated funds in an aggressive plan to assist as many across the spectrum as possible. Included in the plans are the continued assistance for more than 300,000 people who currently are currently living with the HIV virus. Expensive antiretoviral treatments will be administered to residents needing the drug in South Africa, Thailand, Nigeria and Indonesia.

In other initiatives funds will be diversified to assist with the provision of almost one million insecticide-treated bed nets in Angola to combat malaria. Special educational and awareness programs in South Africa will also receive continued funding that has to date accessed almost 2 million youth and helped to detect over 9,000 cases of tuberculosis early which can then be treated more effectively.

The Global Fund chooses to follow a performance based model which has been proven to promote an effective and highly diversified approach in addressing world health concerns. With a mission to create and then sustain healthier communities globally Chevron selected the program based on results that speak volumes. A large part of the approach involves ensuring that programs are professionally measured and evaluated so that the educational arm of the organization can continue to provide help that has a tangible benefit, in prevention, cure and maintenance. With the most recent announcement Chevron has now become the largest donor from the private sector for the Global Fund.

Assistance for health in the developing world is so often reliant on foreign governmental grants that the work of the Global Fund shines brightly as a broad campaign to help in some of the most urgently needed corners of earth.

The Global Fund have an amazing pedigree for supporting those who need help most. I encourage you to learn more about their work via their official website. http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/