250,000 Euro to offer Covid-19 relief in India

Since 2020, tesa and Save the Children stand side by side in the fight against the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Already last year, the international adhesive tape group supported selected projects in six countries on three continents – India, Vietnam, China, Mexico, Italy, and Germany – with a donation of 1 million Euro. Today, tesa is funding additional emergency aid measures for the children's rights organization in India, currently the country most severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with a further EUR 250,000. 

Millions of children have no access to school systems

Nobody knows the actual figures. In India, presumably several ten thousand people are currently infected with Covid-19 every day, around 350,000 have died so far. The dramatic situation is caused by several factors: The hospitals are overcrowded and there is never enough oxygen. Because so many people die, some of the corpses are burned on the streets. Furthermore, many people suffer from previous illnesses – they live in confined spaces and in inadequate hygienic conditions. The pandemic in India particularly threatens to permanently aggravate the living conditions of millions of children. 'Save the Children' fears that their future will be adversely affected by the loss of loved ones, growing poverty, the overburdened health system and the stagnation of educational systems.  

"The situation in India was and still is dramatic. But with the support of committed companies like tesa, we may improve the situation for children," explains Susanna Krüger, CEO of Save the Children Germany. "Thanks to intensive communication over the past few months, we know that our help arrives exactly where it is needed most urgently. That is why we decided there and then to donate once again," says Dr. Norman Goldberg, CEO at tesa SE.

Infection control, treatments, food, and learning materials

The Indian staff of Save the Children may now use the money to offer tangible help on site: There are plans to set up health centers where up to 6,000 patients can be treated. In addition, 10,000 people receive Covid-19 Home Care Kits (including FFP2 masks), 1,000 families of five get basic food for a month, and 10,000 school children can look forward to high-quality educational material and play sets. "Education can help significantly in overcoming the crisis and breaking the cycle of poverty – even beyond the Covid-19 pandemic," explains Dr. Norman Goldberg.

tesa operates a location in India since 2010

The projects funded by Save the Children also affect a region where tesa has had a location for more than ten years. In June 2010, the company opened a converting center and warehouse in Chennai – the state capital of Tamil Nadu. From there, tesa supplies customers from various industries such as automotive, electronics, printing and paper. "The second infection wave severely affected the livelihood of many people in India," explains Venkatesh Inamdar, Managing Director of tesa Tapes India Pvt. Ltd. "This new tesa initiative comes at the perfect time, as the Indian government is also making efforts to support those children who have lost their parents to Covid-19 and have thus become orphans. Investing in education is the best way to offer them a chance for a better life," says Inamdar.

The tesa Donation Program: 5 million Euro

This new tesa donation to 'Save the Children' is also part of the Beiersdorf aid program 'Care Beyond Skin'. Already in 2020, tesa donated 1 million Euro to the global Covid-19 crisis fund by 'Doctors Without Borders' and another million to 'Save the Children'. Furthermore, tesa supports local organizations in seven regions – from Asia to North and Latin America as well as Europe – which the local affiliates have selected. All in all, tesa is providing a total of 5 million Euro for Covid-19 relief.