Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation Ramp up Coronavirus Aid to Europe

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Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation Ramp up Coronavirus Aid to Europe



Editor’s note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

As cases of Covid-19 continue to rise across Europe, the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have increased efforts to provide support and supplies to impacted countries.

Donations to Italian Red Cross

Last week, a donation of 500,000 surgical masks – bearing the triumphant lyrics from the famed Italian aria “Nessun Dorma” – were dispatched from Hangzhou, China, and sent to Belgium’s Liege Airport and then on to Rome, where they were received by the Italian Red Cross. With continued support from the Italian Civil Protection Agency and Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an additional 500,000 masks and 100,000 test kits donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation are due to arrive in Rome this week.

“The Covid-19 emergency has revealed the power of international solidarity, both from institutions and companies,” said Francesco Rocca, president of the Italian Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. According to Rocca, supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation will be distributed to more than 1,000 branches of the Italian Red Cross nationwide.

WATCH: Surgical masks from the Jack Ma Foundation for the Italian Red Cross arrive in Rome

Masks for Belgium Arrive at Liege Airport

Belgium, the first European partner of the Alibaba-led Electronic World Trade Platform, has been instrumental in facilitating the delivery of medical supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak. In particular, the smart logistics hub at Liege Airport in the Wallonia region has played a crucial role in the distribution of provisions to communities in the EU most affected by the virus.

On the evening of March 16, a batch of 300,000 medical masks donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation arrived at Liege Airport and was delivered to Sciensano, the Public Health Institute of Belgium.

According to Maggie De Block, Belgium’s minister of public health, the masks will go to the country’s frontline medical staff and healthcare providers.

Aid Efforts Supported by Spain’s King Felipe VI and Ministry of Health

The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have also committed to sending medical supplies, including masks and test kits, to the National Institute of Health Management in Spain.

With the support of King Felipe VI and the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare, the foundations were able to deliver an initial batch of 500,000 masks from Shanghai to Zaragoza Airport on Tuesday. Additional supplies are due to arrive in Spain over the next few days.

Masks En Route to Slovenia and France

On March 18, another cargo plane carrying medical masks departed from Hangzhou and arrived at Liege Airport. A portion of these donated supplies will go to frontline medical staff in Belgium. Also on the chartered flight were masks for Slovenia and France. According to the foundations, Slovenia’s Department of Defense and France’s Minist√®re des Affaires sociales et de la Sant√© provided crucial support in the delivery of these supplies.

Supplies Arrive for Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands

A delivery of medical supplies touched down at the eWTP’s logistics hub at Liege Airport on March 23. This shipment included first-batch donations made by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation to Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. Also on the flight were additional supplies to countries such as Belgium, France, Italy and Spain.

Medical Items on Way to Sweden and Switzerland

Sweden and Switzerland will soon receive the first batches of medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation. In the evening of March 25, a cargo plane carrying coronavirus-relief items landed at Alibaba’s eWTP hub at Liege Airport. With the help of the National Board of Health and Welfare of Sweden and the Swiss Ministry of Defence, the supplies will be transported and distributed to their respective countries.

First Batch of Medical Supplies Arrive in Norway

A cargo plane carrying face masks, test kits and protective clothing made its way from Shanghai, China, to the capital of Norway on March 27. These were the first supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation to arrive in the Nordic nation.

Portugal Receives Donated Supplies

Face masks, test kits and protective clothing donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation have arrived in Lisbon, where they were received by the National Health System of Portugal. The supplies were dispatched from Hangzhou, China, and routed through Alibaba’s eWTP Hub at Belgium’s Liege Airport. According to the donating parties, the Embassy of Portugal in China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Portuguese health authorities all played crucial roles in this relief effort.

Ventilators Arrive at eWTP Hub

A delivery of medical supplies arrived at Liege Airport in Belgium on March 31 for further transportation and distribution to countries across Europe, according to the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation. The supplies were donated to help nations across the continent in the fight against Covid-19 and included ventilators widely used by frontline medical staff.

Additional Medical Supplies to Be Transported to UK

A shipment of medical supplies, including protective clothing and ventilators, donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation has arrived at Liege Airport, where it would continue its journey to the U.K., according to the donating parties. The supplies follow an earlier donation of face masks and would be received by the country’s National Health Service.

For more coverage on Jack Ma Foundation’s coronavirus-relief efforts,click here.

AlibabaAlibaba FoundationAlibaba GroupCovid-19eWTPJack MaJack Ma FoundationPhilanthropy
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