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As the first initiative of its kind, the South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund (SAERF), administered by CECP, created a powerful collaboration between corporations, government entities, and nonprofit organizations to offer a sustainable response to the areas of Pakistan hit hardest by the devastating earthquake of 2005. After nearly three years of success in serving as a replicable model for comprehensive disaster response and providing millions of dollars in relief and building efforts, SAERF was closed on August 31, 2008.
> Get the SAERF Lessons Learned report (PDF)
The Fund was created following the October 8, 2005, earthquake that rocked the mountainous regions of South Asia, killing approximately 74,000 people and injuring over 70,000. A disaster of this scale compelled a global humanitarian response. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, President George W. Bush took the unprecedented step of engaging the private sector to help raise awareness and encourage donations to aid the survivors of this disaster.
Five corporate leaders embraced this opportunity:
Jeffrey R. Immelt
Chairman and CEO, General Electric Co.
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Anne M. Mulcahy
Chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation |
James P. Kelly
Former Chairman and CEO, United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
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Sanford I. Weill
Chairman, Citigroup Inc. (now Chairman Emeritus) |
Henry A. McKinnell Jr., Ph.D.
Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. (now retired) |
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In addition, one representative from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and one from the Pakistani-American community served on the Fund’s Advisory Committee.
SAERF was a tremendous success, helping to inspire U.S. corporations to commit more than $116 million in cash and in-kind contributions for earthquake relief and reconstruction, and nearly $20 million was collected through the Fund. These contributions funded grants to the following organizations for immediate relief as well as long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation of earthquake-affected areas:
> Aga Khan Development Network
> American Refugee Committee International
> Catholic Relief Services
> International Rescue Committee
> Mercy Corps
> Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund
> Save the Children
The international business community, through SAERF, helped revitalize the earthquake-affected regions of Pakistan. Specific accomplishments of the Fund include:
- Reaching over 185,000 beneficiaries with immediate relief services such as winterized shelter, access to safe water, hygiene promotion activities, and the delivery of medical cargo.
- Building and providing funding for the preliminary operation of 16 health and education facilities: five schools for girls, five schools for boys, and six health facilities.
- Providing health services to 300,000 individuals in the earthquake-affected area.
- Delivering essential education supplies like temporary school tents, teaching aids, school bags for newly enrolled students, recreational/sports kits, and books to 30 schools and 60 mobile libraries.
Photos from Pakistan:
> Earthquake aftermath
> SAERF's reconstruction projects
> SAERF's health and education programs
SAERF: Lessons Learned
CECP published a lessons learned report to share the knowledge gained through the SAERF program. This report outlines six strategies that were core to SAERF operations:
- Collaboration. The initiative brought together companies from varied industries, but relied equally on collaboration with governments and nonprofits.
- Business Leader Engagement. The Fund’s five leading CEOs were deeply involved in fundraising, setting priorities, marshalling resources, and developing communication strategies.
- Implementation Considerations. Establishing a nonprofit takes time, thus SAERF created an administrative partnership with CECP that allowed the Fund to take immediate action. Several legal considerations were resolved early in the process to allow for a smooth process.
- Leveraging NGO Knowledge and Partnerships. Close relationships with NGOs allowed SAERF to better understand the complex social and cultural context of the affected area. Small local organizations were essential to the Fund’s long-term reconstruction efforts.
- Rigorous Monitoring. SAERF developed protocols jointly with pro bono partners to evaluate grantee progress toward important milestones and required periodic, detailed reports from grant recipients.
- Communications. The campaign focused on media, outreach, event planning, website operation, branding, advertising, internal company campaigns, and donor communications.
For more information about the South Asia Earthquake Relief Fund, please e-mail
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Learn more by downloading the following reports:
> SAERF: Lessons Learned report (PDF)
> Summer SAERF 2007 Donor Report (PDF)
> SAERF One-Year Report (PDF)
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Disaster Response 
