Sae-A Trading Sponsors Medical Mission to Haiti

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 20, 2012 / 3BL Media / PRNewswire-Asia/ --

• 20 medical professionals from Chonnam National University Hospital in South Korea provide free medical services in Caracol and Terrier Rouge in northern Haiti
• Over three thousand Haitians to be treated by the end of the 10 day trip
• Sae-A Trading recently commenced operations of production facilities as the first tenant in Caracol Industrial Park

Sae-A Trading Co., Ltd. (Sae-A), a leading global apparel manufacturer and exporter headquartered in South Korea, has sponsored a team of medical experts from Chonnam National University Hospital on a 10 day journey to Haiti. The sending of this medical team is the latest of several community-oriented initiatives undertaken by Sae-A in Haiti, where the company has opened its latest production facility at the Caracol Industrial Park.

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The idea behind the initiative originated when Sae-A Chairman Woong-Ki Kim attended an anniversary last year commemorating the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Through subsequent discussions with his alma mater Chonnam National University and preparations lasting 14 months, a team was eventually assembled to provide services in Haiti.

The medical team successfully arrived in Haiti on August 12 and through August 21 is providing a range of medical services to locales in the areas of: infectious diseases, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine and dermatology. On their first day, the team treated 325 locales, and expects to provide medical services to over three thousand Haitians by the end of the 10 day trip. Having spent the first part of their journey in Caracol, the team now makes its way to Terrier Rouge.

The medical team is comprised of 20 professionals with eight doctors, four nurses, two pharmacists, two administrators, and four medical students. Among the eight doctors, four are professors, three are specialists, and one is the hospital director. Services are being provided free of charge to any residents in the park vicinity.

'We are pleased to provide free medical services to those in need,' said Sae-A Chairman Kim. 'We believe this team of experts brings important and much needed services to the residents in and around Caracol and Terrier Rouge. This medical mission illustrates our commitment to Haiti and the well-being of the Haitian people.'

Sae-A was approached in 2010 by the United States Secretary of State to take part in an opportunity to help galvanize Haiti's economy through the Caracol Industrial Park. Participating in the Caracol Industrial Park will allow Sae-A to take part in the creation of approximately 20,000 valuable jobs, and brings growth to an area traditionally ravaged by poverty.

Recently, Sae-A commenced operations of production facilities as the first tenant in Caracol Industrial Park. Sae-A's commitment of technical expertise is expected to elevate Haiti's apparel manufacturing industry to help make it a world class leader, its training programs are designed to provide valuable skill-sets to the previously unemployed unskilled workforce, its investment of machinery and equipment together with the USD 85million investment will not only accomplish the above, but also result in the creation of 20,000 jobs.

The sending of this medical mission is not Sae-A's first philanthropic effort in Haiti. Most recently, Sae-A donated 120 sewing machines, tables, workstations and sewing supplies to the INDEPTCO organization for their training institutes in Trou du Nord and Caracol. 

In addition to the building of a production facility in the Caracol Industrial Park, Sae-A is building an elementary and middle school for 450 children residing near the Caracol area. Sae-A has already raised USD1 million for the construction of this school, with a commitment to provide operational funding moving forward. The school is being built for local community children living near the North Industrial Park and is in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to assess the local Haitian education needs.

Further to the aforementioned programs, Sae-A has also been active in providing relief services. Immediately following the 2010 earthquake, Sae-A donated over 100,000 garments to the Haitian government as part of international relief efforts. Sae-A also provided 12,000 hygiene kits and a 4.5 ton cargo truck for medical supply transportation in the summer of 2011, with the country fighting a deadly cholera epidemic and still recovering from the devastating impacts of the earthquake.

About Sae-A Trading Co., Ltd.

Established in 1986, Sae-A Trading Co., Ltd. is one of the largest apparel manufacturing companies in the world exporting over 1.3 billion US dollars worth of products from facilities in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China. Sae-A employs over 30,000 associates of its own and another 20,000 associates at partner facilities.

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