Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc announced on Wednesday that it was donating Rs125 million for flood relief efforts in Pakistan.
The amount, which will be given to Unicef, HANDS and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), will “support emergency aid, food, water, sanitation and help children get back to school” in Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the company said in a press release.
Meta’s Director for Emerging Markets for the Asia Pacific region Jordi Fornies said, “Pakistan is going through one of the worst natural disasters we have seen to date. Millions of people are affected and the entire nation is rallying to support them during this difficult time.
“We hope that our contributions help the communities impacted by the catastrophe and our thoughts are with these communities and families as they try to recover.”
The press release stated that prior to the flooding, the safety check feature was activated on Facebook while a crisis page was set up so people could ask for and offer help using the ‘community help feature’.
It further stated that the company’s ‘Data for Good’ platform has activated its disaster maps programme and is providing information to regional response partners.
“Communities across various Meta-owned platforms have raised more than a million dollars for non-profits supporting flood relief efforts. Leading NGOs across the globe have also raised substantial amounts via Facebook and Instagram,” the press release said.
“Meta is continuously exploring further avenues to facilitate not just families in the devastated regions but also supporting NGOs and other causes in their efforts,” it added.
Earlier this week, Google launched an international appeal to collect relief funds, asking its billions of users across the globe to donate $15, $25 and $50 each.
It had previously announced a donation of $500,000, while a company official had said at the time employees had contributed over Rs72m in personal donations and company matches.
Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook had also said his company would donate to relief and recovery efforts.