Doing our part to support earthquake-hit communities in Turkey and Syria
Volunteering is one of the most impactful ways we can deliver on our Purpose of Empowering Communities to Progress. And, where we cannot volunteer in person, we find other ways to offer our support and make a difference.
UniCredit Bank Austria raised €220,000 to support relief efforts following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria in 2023. The donation to Caritas – the international Catholic relief confederation – enabled humanitarian aid for people in need, in the form of warm clothing and blankets, food, water and emergency shelter.
The fundraising was a joint effort from customers and colleagues at the Bank. In addition, UniCredit Foundation donated €100.000 to Red Cross, Save the Children and UNHCR, and matched all employee donations up to €70,000 – while colleagues from Bank Austria and all Austrian Legal Entities were offered up to five days’ paid leave to travel to crisis areas to support their affected families.
The World Health Organisation estimated that up to 23 million people and an area as large as Austria were affected by the disaster.
I would like to express my special thanks to our customers and employees for their overwhelming willingness to donate, which made the excellent result of this call for donations possible in the first place. Alongside other UniCredit Group banks, it is extremely important to us to make a meaningful contribution to supporting aid organisations such as Caritas in dealing with the humanitarian catastrophe in Turkey and Syria.”
CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria