Crossing Borders

Jack Ma steps in to help nations around the world

Jack Ma, the former executive chairman of Alibaba, once said, “When you are a millionaire, the money is yours; and when you have tens and tens of billions, the money is not yours any more, but a social responsibility. And it means more contributions.”

In the chaotic days following the government’s decision to lock down the city of Wuhan, Alibaba announced a RMB1 billion fund for purchasing medical supplies and equipment to donate to medical institutions in Wuhan and Hubei province. The Jack Ma Foundation simultaneously gave RMB100 million to support the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Alibaba also set up a special team of workers from 18 Hema Grocery Stores in Wuhan to provide daily meals for key hospitals in the city and food supplies to 21 medical units. Hema also took the lead to provide more jobs in the region during the crisis.

Meanwhile, Ma’s gifts of equipment, testing kits, and masks to hard-hit countries, including the US, Iran, Italy, and 54 countries in Africa, have stood out all the more distinctively against a backdrop of xenophobia and imperilled international diplomacy. Ma also helped distribute guidebooks for treatment and care protocols to healthcare providers internationally.

“The outpouring of positive energy and the desire to help have been incredible. If we all combine forces for the same outcome, we can get through this together” –Sakson Rouypirom, SATI