MSF to become a consultant of Inditex Social Board
20 Mar '08
2 min read
Inditex and 'Médicos Sin Fronteras' (MSF), Spanish section of Médecins Sans Frontières, subscribed a framework agreement for collaboration in the matter of social action and relief commitments whereby both organizations lay the foundations to promote development of health-related projects. The first joint initiative to be put in place will be a program of medical care in Somalia (Africa) to be managed by MSF Spain and towards which Inditex has agreed to contribute €1.5 million.
In accordance with this agreement, MSF will become a consultant of Inditex's Social Board, the body which sets out the action lines of the company in the matter of corporate social responsibility.
The aim of the project is to improve primary health care in Somalia. The main focus will be on child and maternity care in the towns of Jowhar and Mahaday, located 60 kilometres in the north of the capital, Mogadishu. The two towns have a joint population of 175,000.
Somalia has experienced extreme deterioration with a high rate of violence and migration as a result of a lack of stable government. This has caused periodic malnutrition crises and one of the lowest rates of health in the world.
The Project will aim to improve four main areas of health care:
- Maternity and child health care.
- Vaccination programmes.
- Steps to reduce malnutrition in children.
- Basic health training and education.
This initiative comes togetherwith the implementation of steps to fight and treat TB and forgotten illnesses, such as kala azar. Fronting this project will be a team comprised of 109 professionals, out of which 100 are Somalis.