Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 30 June, 2015: To support the cause of changing a child’s future, Roche Children’s Walk 2015 saw employees from the region undertake various internal fund raising activities, the proceeds from which will go towards supporting day-care centers for orphans and educational initiatives in Malawi, as well as children’s charities in their own countries. With the purpose of encouraging self-sustainable living through skill-building, the money which Roche employees collect during the 24-hour global event is matched by Roche. This year, Bait-Al Khair in UAE has been a recipient of the funds for their Orphan Fund Project which supports vulnerable children and provides them with developmental support.

“The Roche Children’s Walk is a key event in our company’s calendar. It represents our firm conviction that support for social and humanitarian programs should be long-term and foster sustainable solutions,” says Severin Schwan, CEO of Roche. “Over the years the funds raised have improved the lives of many vulnerable children. We will again match the money raised by employees.”

“The initiative marks our continued commitment towards supporting the community and making a positive difference in the lives of those in need, in this case vulnerable children. We are thankful towards our employees for their efforts towards supporting this cause and enthusiastic participation to make this activity a grand success”, said Ehab Yousef – Head of Sub-region Middle East 1 (UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt) at Roche.

“We see great enthusiasm amongst our employees to be a part of the global cause, resulting in news offices being added to Roche’s world footprint on social responsibility and making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children. We aim to encourage more and more employees to join in each year, contributing to our continued commitment of creating a meaningful impact on the society,” said Olaf Schulzeck – Head of Sub-region Middle East 2 (Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Palestine) at Roche.

With 62% of the Malawian population living below the international poverty line of USD 1.25 per day and 790,000 children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS, the goal of development efforts is to foster long-term sustainable change in alignment with the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Through partnerships with UNICEF and European Coalition of Positive People (ECPP), Roche contributes to building schools, training teachers, educating children, ensuring sustainable water supply and sanitation, hygiene promotion, decreasing child mortality and supporting orphan centers for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Starting in 2003, Roche employees have continuously raised money for children in need by joining the annual Children’s Walk which takes place on June 16– the International Day of the African Child.

About Roche:

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche’s personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostics that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. Founded in 1896, Roche has been making important contributions to global health for more than a century. Twenty-four medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, anti-malarials and chemotherapy.

In 2014, the Roche Group employed 88,500 people worldwide, invested 8.9 billion Swiss francs in R&D and posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche-middleeast.com.

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