Chevron, OAS, PADF Respond to Guatemala's Plea for Food
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Four cargo containers with
desperately needed food will be sent to Guatemala's drought-stricken regions
to help stave off malnutrition and starvation due to the worst drought in this
country in 30 years, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) announced.
Three of the four containers are filled with fortified rice and soy protein
meal packages. Each of the three containers holds 270,864 servings of
dehydrated fortified rice meals. The fourth container has 48,500 pounds of
corn. The first container with fortified rice and soy protein meal packages is
scheduled to arrive to Guatemala on Oct. 28.
Chevron, operating in the region under its Texaco brand, the Organization of
American States (OAS), Feed My Starving Children, International Services of
Hope/IMPACT and the U.S. Southern Command are working together to support
PADF's shipment of emergency food. The entire humanitarian relief effort is
valued at more than $250,000.
"Thanks to PADF's swift action, and the joint effort of our partners, it is
our hope to be able to provide relief to thousands of people in the
drought-stricken areas of Guatemala," said Mauricio Nicholls, general manager,
retail and commercial and industrial, Caribbean, Central America and Andean
regions for Chevron Products Company.
More than 2.5 million people Guatemalans have been affected by the drop in
food reserves, while the UN predicts the situation will worsen during the next
few months. PADF's containers will be sent to Guatemala's eastern region,
which includes the provinces of Baja Verapaz, El Progreso, Zacapa, Chiquimula,
Jutiapa, Santa Rosa, Jalapa and El Quiche.
"This grave situation becomes even more compelling because young children are
the first victims of malnutrition," says Assistant Secretary General of the
OAS Ambassador Albert Ramdin.
Chevron is supporting the humanitarian relief efforts through PADF's Disaster
Management Emergency Response Program (DMERP). Since the launch of the DMERP
in 2007, Chevron has provided disaster relief materials to the Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Haiti and Nicaragua. It has also supported
agricultural recovery projects in Jamaica and Dominica.
Chevron's efforts in natural disaster and humanitarian relief will be
recognized by PADF during its 2009 Heroes of the Hemisphere event in Miami on
Saturday, Oct. 24.
About PADF
PADF is an independent, non-profit organization that creates public-private
partnerships to assist the least advantaged people in Latin America and the
Caribbean.
Through these partnerships and as a unique affiliate of the Organization of
American States, PADF creates economic opportunities, strengthens communities
and prepares for and responds to natural disasters.
Having worked in every country in the region, PADF engages community-based
groups, governments and the private sector in the process of implementing
appropriate solutions for sustainable development.
In the past year, more than 5 million people in 18 countries benefited from
PADF and its programs. www.padf.org
About Chevron
Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies,
with subsidiaries that conduct business across the globe. The company's
success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 62,000
employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for,
produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and
distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and
sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy;
provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops and commercializes the
energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables.
Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is
available at www.chevron.com.
SOURCE Pan American Development Foundation
Michael J. Zamba, Senior Director Communications & Public Affairs of Pan
American Development Foundation, +1-202-458-6180; or Annabel Beyra, Fusion
Communications, +1-305-328-8582, for Chevron
