Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) supports charitable giving programs that improve living conditions in places our employees reside and work, as well as in the farming communities where we source our tobacco. We have identified five areas for giving that we focus on: hunger and extreme poverty, education, environmental sustainability/living conditions in rural communities, domestic violence, and disaster relief. These areas parallel many of the UN Millennium Development Goals, and we have chosen to focus on them because they are among the most critical issues affecting the countries in which we operate.
We select and manage our programs working directly with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The process starts with the recommendations of our employees, who we feel are best placed to recognize their communities’ needs. Of course, it would be easier to write a check and let an international charity take care of the details. We prefer to know where the money is going and to follow the results on the ground. This hands-on involvement has other benefits. We expect our partner NGOs to meet strict international standards for grant requests and project evaluation, thereby building their capacity to obtain funds from other international sources. Also, our employees are often able to volunteer on projects and help improve the well being of their communities. A few of our employee volunteer programs in 2010 are illustrated in this section.
During 2010, PMI provided $25 million in funding to support 298 charitable contribution initiatives in 61 countries. In total, more than three million people benefited from PMI grants covering the areas of hunger and poverty, education, domestic violence, environmental sustainability/living conditions in rural communities and disaster relief. As a result of PMI’s funding:
Approximately 500,000 people are receiving access to clean water and sanitation;
270,000 students and teachers are receiving educational support, including improved teaching methodologies, scholarships, refurbished classrooms, books and supplies;
More than 300,000 people in need are receiving food and/or medical assistance;
Approximately 900,000 people are benefiting from new homes, shelters and community centers;
More than 17,000 victims of domestic violence are receiving shelter, counseling and/or financial aid;
More than 19,000 people have been given the skills to start new jobs; and
As part of an ongoing program, 10 million trees were planted.
