Orica : Ghanaian communities set to benefit from cross-regional Orica partnership

Two hundred and seventy million children worldwide have no access to health services. To put that into context, that's around one in seven children across the globe. Orica is helping to improve capacity at local clinics for children and families in our host communities. In the past six months alone, Orica-sponsored capacity-building projects have been delivered or are underway in hospitals in Russia, Australia and India.

Project C.U.R.E. is a US non-profit organisation that ships donated medical supplies to hospitals in more than 130 countries. This week, Orica and Project C.U.R.E. launched a major, three-year partnership that focuses on building capacity in Ghana.

To celebrate the partnership, Orica's Group Executive and President North America James Bonnor hosted a 'Lunch and Learn' event for employees at the Denver office with Project C.U.R.E.'s President and CEO Dr Douglas Jackson as the guest of honour.

Commenting on the partnership, James said: "Orica's total investment of around US$200,000 will facilitate the shipping of more than $3.6 million dollars in medical equipment.

"Although it is early days, our people in Ghana have worked with Project C.U.R.E staff to select three clinics near the Ahafo and Akyem mines to support. Two shipments are planned in the partnership's first year.

"Our African business has supported all three clinics over the past decade, but as Dr Jackson explained to our staff in Denver, working with Project C.U.R.E. will amplify Orica's impact," he said.

In addition to the monetary contribution, Orica employees in Denver will be volunteering their time to pack the shipping container for the first shipment later this year and employees in Ghana will be involved when the goods arrive.

"This is a great example of Orica living one of our core values: succeed through collaboration. Funds provided through Orica's corporate funding vehicle, the Community Partnerships Program, will see sites on two continents working together to benefit communities where our customers operate," James added.

Project C.U.R.E. (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment) was founded in 1987. From its humble beginnings in Colorado, Project C.U.R.E. has expanded to many other cities across the United States. Currently, Project C.U.R.E. maintains large distribution warehouses in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

Project C.U.R.E. has been an industry leader in developing new ways to allow the organization to provide the highest quality donated medical supplies and equipment possible to resource-limited communities across the globe, including efficient and accurate inventory systems, supply chain management, expert management of logistics and strong in-country relationships. Project C.U.R.E. also offers numerous domestic and international volunteer opportunities.

Find out more at projectcure.org

Launched in July 2014, the Community Partnerships Program provides corporate funding for initiatives that demonstrate Orica's commitment to corporate social responsibility and provide tangible results for host communities. A key objective of the program is to channel funds to regions proportionally to reflect Orica's operational footprint. Orica is committed to effective and targeted engagement with the communities that host the Company's operations.

Learn more about Orica's approach to working with communities.

Sam Stevens
General Manager Corporate Communications
Mobile +61 400 693 915
sam.stevens@orica.com

Jennifer Dunne
Communications Advisor, North America
Mobile +1 303 884 1523
jennifer.dunne@orica.com

distributed by