Microsoft Tsunami Disaster Response Fact Sheet
January 20, 2005
Microsoft Corp. employees around the world watched the tragic disaster resulting from the Indian Ocean tsunami in Asia with shock, sympathy and an overwhelming desire to help. Since the events of Dec. 26, we have been working with local and international agencies contribute financial support, technical assistance, and volunteer resources to the relief and recovery efforts.
Funding
Microsoft committed an initial $3.5 million in financial support, including these contributions:
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Corporate contributions. $2 million is being contributed to several international relief and development agencies.
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Local contributions. Within 48 hours of the disaster, Microsoft had distributed $250,000 to local relief agencies working in the Asian countries affected by the tsunami. The agencies were Palang Merah (Indonesian Red Cross Society), Sarvodaya (Sri Lanka), M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (India) and the Office of the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (Thailand).
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Employee giving. Microsoft is responding to the generosity of its employees by ensuring that all donations to the tsunami effort by full-time Microsoft employees are matched by the company. Since the disaster, more than 8,000 employees have donated more than $2 million for relief and recovery efforts.
Technology Assistance
Where possible, Microsoft is making its technology and technology expertise available to the relief efforts, including these:
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Asia Disaster Technical Response Team. Technology-based solutions are being developed for the relief community, including the following:
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India. Microsoft is working with the Ministry of Science and Technology on a proposal for immediate disaster management applications, as well as on a long-term proposal for an early warning system. The company is also working with M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) to develop an information system for the impacted fishing communities in India’s coastal areas.
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Indonesia. Working with the KPU (the National Election Commission), Microsoft has created a casualties tracking application.
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Sri Lanka. Microsoft is setting up a volunteer registration site to register volunteers for work with NGOs (nongovernmental organizations). The project has the backing of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and will be staffed by volunteers from the student organization AISEC.
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Sri Lanka. Microsoft created a Sinhalese localization package so allow a user to type, edit, copy and print Sinhalese text, sort Sinhalese data, and get date/time/other formatting appropriate to the Sinhalese agencies coordinating the response effort.
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Thailand. Along with Acer Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Thaicom, Microsoft is engaging with the official Thai Tsunami information center to help identify disaster victims and find missing persons.
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Regionally – The Microsoft MapPoint Team worked with regional authorities to create new maps of the affected region that could improve logistics and transportation.
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NetHope. Microsoft is supporting NetHope in developing a collaborative effort with seven humanitarian organizations to set up satellite communications infrastructure in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and in Sri Lanka.
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Web properties. Microsoft.com, MSN and MSNBC.com provided home page space to help customers and the general public learn how to contribute; the properties link to more than 55 local and international relief agencies.
Employee Support
Microsoft employees are providing support for on-the-ground relief efforts. Examples include these:
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India. Microsoft employees rented and packed a truck filled with food and milk and, accompanied by a doctor, distributed the supplies to Pondicherry, the central distribution center for the Association for India’s Development (AID). Additional donations are being collected and given to MSSRF.
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Indonesia. Employees have donated food, clothing and cash to Aceh; a number of employees are on the waiting list to join relief efforts in that area.
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Singapore. Employees packed 80 cartons of food and relief supplies and Sri Lankan Airlines delivered the supplies to affected regions in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
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Sri Lanka. A team of Microsoft employees is purchased relief materials and sent them to Sarvodaya centers in four districts.
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