tesa supports 'Doctors Without Borders' with 1 million Euro in the fight against Corona

Jul 9, 2020

"As an economically sound company, in these times that are so difficult for many, we'd like to make our contribution to help people suffering from Covid-19 and to enable preventive measures," says Dr. Norman Goldberg. The CEO of tesa SE announced that the company supports 'Doctors Without Borders' with a donation of 1 million Euro.

In the past few months, the international adhesive tape group had equipped hospitals across Germany with so-called Social Distancing Tapes and initiated other local fundraising campaigns. "We are convinced of the long-standing humanitarian work of 'Doctors Without Borders' and of the concept of being able to act quickly, unbureaucratically, and efficiently where the need is greatest during the Corona pandemic," explains Goldberg.

One of the largest single donations

The Corona pandemic, which is spreading worldwide, has hit the general population extremely hard – particularly in countries that are already severely affected by war and displacement, famines, earthquakes, and floods. "We were incredibly happy about the generous donation from tesa. It represents one of the largest individual donations that a company has ever made available to 'Doctors Without Borders Germany'," says Katja Carson. "The money will flow into the global Covid-19 Crisis Fund and makes a significant contribution to both adapting and continuing our existing projects and starting new ones. Three million protective masks are needed every month alone," says the deputy CEO of 'Doctors Without Borders Germany'. It costs 966 Euro to buy a 45 square meter tent which can serve as a clinic or Corona isolation station. 10,400 Euro: That's the price for 650 complete sets of protective clothing. And 10,800 Euro cover the cost for 168,000 people to have clean water to wash their hands for a month – a simple yet effective protection against infection.

At present, 'Doctors Without Borders' supports people in the fight against the Corona virus in more than 70 countries worldwide. The teams on site take measures to control infections, carry out screenings, set up isolation areas, train employees in clinics and care facilities, and educate the population. Furthermore, state bodies and public institutions are advised and counseled and their capacities strengthened.

A total of 5 million Euro of donated funds from tesa

The support of 'Doctors Without Borders' is only part of the large-scale tesa donation program. Other projects are in preparation or have already started. Besides providing urgent aid, funds will be made available for activities that will help to alleviate the effects of the pandemic in the long term. "Moreover, we've set up our own fund, with which tesa country organizations can support smaller, local projects in all regions of the world," says Dr. Norman Goldberg. In the past few weeks, tesa SE had already supplied 3,000 rolls of adhesive warning tape with a total length of 100 kilometers to more than 30 large hospitals in Germany and supported various food banks.

As a Beiersdorf affiliate, with these measures tesa is participating in the large "Care Beyond Skin" aid program of the parent company, the total volume of which is 50 million Euro. For its part, Beiersdorf works closely with international organizations and local authorities to ensure the best possible contribution for people in need. Furthermore, the company has produced 1,000,000 liters of disinfectant for central public facilities and emergency services on five continents around the world.