Goldman Sachs donates £2m to Syria refugees

A volunteer helps refugees in Rostock, Germany
EPA
Anna Davis @_annadavis14 September 2015

Goldman Sachs has donated £2 million to refugees caught up in the escalating humanitarian crisis.

The huge donation will go to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help them provide emergency food, accommodation and medical assistance to desperate families fleeing Syria.

It is the biggest private-sector donation UNHCR has received since the crisis began, and it is hoped it will open the floodgates for more City firms to donate.

It comes as taxi service Uber announced a second day of fundraising for refugees after being overwhelmed with donations from Londoners.

Uber drivers are today picking up donations from people’s homes for free and driving them to Save the Children shops to be sold to raise money for refugees.

The Lord Mayor of the City of London urged other City firms to follow the example of Goldman Sachs. Alan Yarrow said: “The City has a long and proud tradition of charitable giving and fundraising.

“I would urge all Square Mile firms and workers to be showing their generosity at this time of need for the people of Syria.”

The partnership between UNHCR and Goldman Sachs Gives - the charitable fund of Goldman Sachs partners - will provide immediate support for refugees in camps surrounding Syria, including those in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

It will also be directed to refugee centres on the shores of the Mediterranean, including in Italy, Greece, Malta and the Balkans.

The money will pay for supplies for thousands of families including emergency food packs, secure accommodation for 500 extremely vulnerable children and temporary medical facilities.

It will also fund survivor packs, which include a towel, thermal blanket, bottled water, energy bar and dry clothes for 3000 families, as well as sleeping bags.

The money will also pay for eight temporary reception centres that provide vital medical care when refugees first arrive.

Speaking about the Goldman Sachs donation, Lionello Boscardi, head of partnerships at UNHCR, said: “We attach a lot of importance to it. It’s a clear signal from the private sector that they do care about what is going on in Europe. They are setting an example for others. We really hope that by coming out with this donation, Goldman Sachs will open the door for others to follow.”

A spokeswoman for Uber said: “The refugee crisis in recent days has moved people everywhere. We have seen an outpouring of desire to help in the places where we operate.”

Tanya Steele, from Save the Children, said: “The outpouring of support from the British public has shown that people want to help the refugee crisis in whatever way that they can.”

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