Nokia Press Bulletin Board

Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks today pledged to donate a total of over RMB 53 million to earthquake relief, of which approximately RMB 18 million will be used to address the immediate and acute needs of those most affected. The additional RMB 35 million will be used to start the rebuilding efforts and for other longer term needs in the affected areas.

The devastation caused by the earthquake in Sichuan, China on May 12 was catastrophic. Within 24 hours of the disaster, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks had made an initial donation of RMB 3 million for use in search and rescue missions. Nokia also donated 5,000 phones with prepaid SIM cards in partnership with Sichuan Mobile. In addition, Nokia sent its Care Vans into the affected regions to supply power and telecommunications to survivors and rescue teams, as well as transport a 25-strong medical team. Nokia also helped in setting up an emergency medical hotline and company volunteer teams gave blood, delivered tents, food, water and medical supplies. Nokia Siemens Networks has established a 24-hour, on-site service for the local operator to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of its network, which is critical in relief and reconstruction work. And Zhiqiang Zhang, Nokia Siemens Networks head of the Greater China Region, visited Chengdu recently to assess what further practical assistance the company could provide in the relief effort for victims.

Longer term efforts will primarily focus in areas such as the offer of psychological/counseling services to school children; helping schools to strengthen knowledge about earthquakes (include providing teachers proper training); providing planning advice to schools on how to do the reconstruction; funding the building of new Hope schools; skills development for employability and re-building livelihoods; expanding the Nokia “Heart to Heart, Hand to Hand” program to ensure more resources for Sichuan; and extending Nokia’s “Touch an orphan’s Life” program to selected disaster areas.

“This disaster has changed the lives of many Chinese people and sadly ended many others. I am proud and humbled by the tremendous and spontaneous efforts and sacrifices our staff in China have made, as well as by the financial donations that have been made by our staff, not only in China, but in several other countries, such as Finland, USA, Canada and Denmark. We are matching these employee donations.” Said David Tang, Vice President, Nokia Greater China.

Nokia’s approach to dealing with disaster relief projects is to focus first on immediate disaster relief, and in the longer term to focus on collaborating with local and state governments, civil societies and NGOs to rebuild families, to offer development assistance to affected children, and to help support rebuilding efforts. This approach has been the same in a number of tragic natural disasters over the last few years, including the Thailand tsunami, hurricane Katrina in the United States and now the tragic Sichuan earthquake.

In 2007, Nokia initiated the over RMB 60 million “Heart to Heart, Hand to Hand” childhood development program in China. This long term program will continue and will now put extra emphasis on the Sichuan province.