Kathmandu, Nepal, March 29, 2020
The first batch of essential medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation for Nepal arrived in Kathmandu at the Tribhuvan International Airport today. The Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal took receipt of the supplies and will distribute them throughout the country.
This delivery is part of the donation of essential medical supplies by the two Foundations to 23 Asian countries totaling 7.4 million masks; 485,000 test kits; 100,000 sets of protective clothing along with other medical equipment.
Mr. Lino Ahlering, Managing Director for Daraz in Nepal acting on behalf of the two Foundations took part in a ceremony today during which the donation was presented to the Ministry of Health and Population. Also present to witness the presentation in support of this private philanthropic initiative were Her Excellency Ms. Hou Yanqi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China in the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal and Hon’ble Mr. Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, Minister for Health and Population.
“We hope this donation will help Nepal contain the spread of Covid-19. We are making our best effort to support the global community. It is not easy to source and transport medical supplies to where it is needed the most, but we are working hard to get it done,” said the Jack Ma Foundation.
These donations are among a number of aid initiatives from the Alibaba Foundation and the Jack Ma Foundation to support the areas of the world affected by the Covid-19 crisis, sourcing and delivering various types of medical supplies to countries across Asia, North America, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.
More initiatives and donations may be announced in the coming days and weeks.
The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation also supported the publication of a handbook with key lessons and experience from doctors, healthcare workers, and hospital administrators at the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (FAHZU), who were on the frontline of Covid-19 treatment in China and crucial to slowing its spread. The handbook is available for global medical health professionals at https://covid-19.alibabacloud.com/.
Follow @JackMa and @foundation_ma on Twitter for the latest efforts of the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation to support the global fight against Covid-19.