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Supporting the victims of the Haiti earthquake

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Posted on January 15, 2010 by Raquel Córdoba

Supporting the victims of the Haiti earthquake“I know that you all are very worried about what has happened in Haiti. Our Company, through the Foundation, is going to be there!” These are words of Felicidad Cristobal, Managing Director of the ArcelorMittal Foundation, when she announced that our Group will send 100,000 US dollars to Haiti.

This is our way to support an intervention from Médecins sans frontières for the victims affected by the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The donation will enable this MSF-intervention which aims to address the needs of around 70,000 persons affected by the earthquake.

“We were all very shocked when we saw what has happened during this terrible earthquake and felt we had to do something to support the population,” Felicidad says.

The MSF intervention on Haiti will concentrate on reducing the morbidity and the mortality among the affected population in the Ouest district of the Island.

This decision was taken by our Group Management Board only 2 days after the devastating earthquake. It is becoming a good tradition at ArcelorMittal to help people who are affected from big natural disasters like this: before Haiti, it was the case of the Italy earthquake (April 2009), the cyclone in Myanmar (May 2008) and the sustained support to the region affected by hurricane Katrina in the US (2005) – 4 important actions of our young Foundation.

Picture: © Stefano Zannini, Courtesy of Médecins sans frontières



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19 comments


  • January 15th, 2010 by Marisa Alonso

    I am so proud to hear that ArcelorMittal will be a part of the help needed so badly by Haiti.



  • January 16th, 2010 by Vera Alves

    I am very happy to know that ArcelorMittal Foundation has made such a great contribution! I am happy and proud! We all should contribute – if not with money then with our work or with our prayers. I just wish I could be there to help each and every single person in need.



  • January 16th, 2010 by josephus munu

    BRAVO MR MITTAL, HAVE DONE IT AGAIN, SUPPORTING THE POOR IS LIKE PLANTING SEEDS FOR OUR REPUTABLE COMPANY, AS U HAVE PROVEN UR SUPPORT TO THE PEOPLE OF HAITI, RESPECTING HUMINITY , BRING LIFE TO THE DEAD, HEALING THE BROKEN HEARTED,GIVEN HOPE TO THE HOPLESS.

    AS FOR US THAT ARE FAR FROM HAITI(ALL THE IN LIBERIA) WE EXTANDING OUR TOTAL SUPORT TO MR MITTAL THAT , THE MONEY GIVEN WILL BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE. LETS HELP THE PEOPLE OF HAITI. TODAY IS HAITI, TOMORROW MIGHT BE UUUUUUUU



  • January 18th, 2010 by SUBHAS CHANDRA KAR

    Such prompt help is always welcome to the suffering families and ArcelorMittal has always become the fore-runner. I am so proud to be a member of such a benevolent company.
    I wish all the Haitians to come out of the trauma at the earliest and again start living with all the dignity and love. May God give them all the courage and persevearance.



  • January 18th, 2010 by Vanhees Dany

    I’m pleased and proud to hear and tell too family and friends that Arcelor Mittal is not only a big compagnie who makes money but also a compagnie with the heart on the right place.



  • January 18th, 2010 by Hazel Dekker

    Congratulations. It warms my heart to read that ArcelorMittal is doint what it can to help these people who are crying out for help.



  • January 18th, 2010 by Yvonne Weis, Luxembourg

    Same feeling as the above mentioned colleagues about the impressive action of our company to help at the catastrophic area over there in Haiti. Hope the money will really arrive there where needed as the logistical conditions are not good and people willing to help even can’t get over to that places they intend to go to. A little bit frustrating for them.



  • January 18th, 2010 by Rodrigo Caldeira Guedes

    I’m glad to know that our company ArcelorMittal number one steel production in the world, also doing their share of social responsibility by donating a significant amount to transform tomorrow by several people who survived and who were affected by the earthquake catastrophe in Haiti. ArcelorMittal a company number one in social action by the plant. Congratulations for another initiative



  • January 18th, 2010 by Daniel Delguste

    I am glad that our company helps the victims of this disaster.
    But instead of sending them just money, it could be the opportunity (I don’t like to use this word because we can’t talk about opportunity in such a case but I don’t find another word). So, it could be the opportunity to help them by developing the Casa Buna Project and re-build schools, hospitals, nursery or just apartments.
    Casa Buna construction is earthquake proof, cheap and really easy and fast to build. So it could be the perfect product adapted to this kind of situation.
    When you send money, you are not sure of the use made by the locals. But if you send a team with all the necessary material and learn them to build Casa Buna houses, it could be really helpful.



  • January 19th, 2010 by Paul Breau

    There are many Employees from ArcelorMittal Dofasco here in Hamilton, Ontario that have been making trips to Haiti for many years now doing humanitarian work in Haiti, myself included. They have been supported by other ArcelorMittal Dofasco employees. It is encouraging that our company has become part of the effort to help these good people. May ArcelorMittal become part of the Haiti rebuilding effort.



  • January 20th, 2010 by Mariana Gulino

    I´so proud to be part of this great socially responsible company!A united effort by all of us to help Haitian people in this hour of need is critical in order to contribute to the regeneration of that country.



  • January 21st, 2010 by raquel

    Thanks for all your comments! We asked the Foundation team about the Casa Buna ideas and here’s what they say: “It is a valid observation and a great idea to look for other countries that can benefit from the Casa Buna model, which we have developed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Of course housing is not the only issue Haiti will have to face in the near future, and while we are proud to have been able to provide immediate support to the relief efforts, we will continue to look for ways to support the re-growth of Haiti and other countries.”



  • January 21st, 2010 by Vania Mury

    I was distressed by the situation of Haitians, a lot. Me sito comfortable in knowing that the company where I work is collaborating to the country rebuild their lives. Thank you.



  • January 23rd, 2010 by Ken Buchanan

    It is great that our company is donating to the cause but $100,000. just does not seem enough from a company of our size, I think we could/should do more.



  • January 25th, 2010 by Yurika

    I have to agree with Ken Buchanan. Is there any other way for us to contribute more and help the Haitians? How about the Company organizes a system so that we as an employee can donate? Or as the world biggset steel company, we can contribute into rebuilding the infrastructure of Haiti in some way?



  • January 25th, 2010 by raquel

    Hi Ken and Yurika,
    You are not the only ones who think that we could do more… And we actually have! Have you read this morning’s press release? “ArcelorMittal announces a donation of 1 million USD to help the relief efforts in Haiti” – “In a first step the Company announced already two days after this natural disaster a donation of 100,000 USD” – “This donation will be given in both cash and kind, offering assistance in new housing projects to rebuild Haiti” – “ArcelorMittal is also encouraging its employees to support other local initiatives in the country”
    Thanks a lot to all for your constructive comments!



  • March 16th, 2010 by pascalito

    Beyond the tragedy and the help we must bring to these people, I think that there is a real need to work on the protection of regions threatened by such disasters (earthquake, tsunami, volcanoes… ). Even if earthquakes cannot be predicted, their impact could be somehow reduced –and steel offers an alternative to classical buildings more vulnerable in that kind of situation. Hope that progressively governments, big companies, NGOs will be mobilized on such issue!



  • March 18th, 2010 by Peter Boehnlein

    The AMC-Arval team is very pleased to understand that our foundation is acting directly on the spot which guarantees, that the help will really arrive at those who are in urgent needs! I am proud to hear that this decision has been taken immediately after the horrible earthquake. However, we people of “iron & steel” should push the talks about the fantastic AM steel solutions for pre-engineered low income homes, providing high seismic resistance and reducing the risk of human losses.



  • March 18th, 2010 by pedro

    Everyone on earth expects his home to be a safe & secure place !
    Authorities must put earthquake resistance as the first priority for all future reconstruction programs.
    The least we can do for the next generations is to learn from this tragedy and build safer homes & buildings, not only in Haïti but in all seismic regions.




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