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"Idol Gives Back"
See American Idol celebrities Fantasia Barrino and Elliott Yamin during their trip to Luanda, Angola. Exxon Mobil Corporation recently announced a donation of $10 million to anti-malaria efforts through the “Idol Gives Back” episode of the FOX-TV show American Idol, which aired on April 8, 2008.
“We have a proud history of supporting the battle against malaria,” said Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer.
“ExxonMobil has thousands of workers in Africa, is one of the largest direct foreign investors in the continent, and knows very well the devastating impact of malaria and the need for action. We are pleased to support Idol Gives Back, which raises money to fight malaria and also helps to increase public awareness of this major health issue.”
The $10-million donation by ExxonMobil, the largest non-pharmaceutical corporate donor to malaria research and development efforts, will be directed to Malaria No More, a non-profit organization with the mission to end deaths due to malaria. Malaria No More works to increase knowledge of the disease among the public, policymakers and businesses while engaging individuals, organizations and corporations to provide life-saving bed nets and other critical interventions in the fight against malaria.
This is the second year that ExxonMobil has participated in Idol Gives Back, which raised over $76 million for charity in its first year in 2007. During that program, ExxonMobil provided a $3-million “challenge grant” that matched donations by viewers to Malaria No More.
ExxonMobil has donated more than $121 million to organizations working in and benefiting Africa that are engaged in important community and social development projects, including $40 million through ExxonMobil Foundation’s Africa Health Initiative.
The Initiative was established in 2000 in support of the Abuja Declaration on Roll Back Malaria in Africa and its goal to halve malaria deaths by 2010. Since then, ExxonMobil has developed on-the-ground public-private partnerships to fight malaria at the community level, progress treatment and vaccine research and raise awareness and international support. ExxonMobil is also the largest corporate donor to the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative.
