CITGO Petroleum Corporation, and its charitable organization the Simón Bolívar Foundation, have started shipping 120 tons of humanitarian aid to Port-Au-Prince, in coordination with the Embassies of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Republic of Haiti in the U.S.
This effort complements the contributions of the Venezuelan people through their government, led by President Hugo Chávez, with the goal of alleviating the suffering of the thousands of people left homeless following the earthquake that struck the Caribbean nation on Jan. 12.
“In alignment with the solidarity principle of our shareholder, PDVSA, the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, we at CITGO are working very hard to offer additional assistance to the Haitian people at this time of need. Because of this, I am very pleased to witness today the sendoff of this first 20-ton shipment, out of 120-tons of aid to be shipped to Port-A-Prince,” said Alejandro Granado, president and CEO of CITGO, an affiliate of PDVSA.
The high ranking oil executive explained that CITGO allocated one million dollars for the purchase of aid to Haiti which will help between 8,000 and 10,000 people. The funds were invested in the purchase of tents, cots, and non battery-operated AM/FM radios, which recharge using a manual system, as required by the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in the U.S.
Additionally, CITGO is conducting a fund-raising campaign, aimed at increasing aid to the people of Haiti. This campaign involves CITGO’s 3,600 employees and more than a thousand energy companies, suppliers, marketers and owners of CITGO branded service stations, as well as non-governmental/non-profit organizations, especially those with which CITGO is partnering in different social development initiatives. Furthermore, the Simón Bolívar Foundation is also matching dollar-for-dollar, up to $600,000 in monetary donations by CITGO employees, which could add $1.2 million to the total aid being provided.
“Not only are we shipping aid items to Port-Au-Prince, we are also sending CITGO representatives to accompany a member of the Venezuelan embassy in the United States, in order to guarantee the arrival and distribution of the aid among the Haitian population, in support of the Haitian authorities and the Simón Bolívar International Brigade, sent by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” Granado said.
During the preparations to send this first shipment, the CITGO president was accompanied by the Minister Counselor of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the U.S., Ángelo Rivero. “Venezuela in good part owes its independence to Haiti, and because of this, as President Hugo Chávez has pointed out, we will continue to do everything we can to help this sister nation recover from this tragedy,” Rivero said.
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
