One Year After the Earthquake, SAP Continues Work in Haiti to Meet Immediate Needs and Create Long-Term Jobs Through Social Businesses

WALLDORF, Germany, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- One year after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) continues to invest in immediate housing assistance and long-term economic development activities that will improve the short- and long-term living conditions of Haitians and help develop sustainable businesses and income opportunities. SAP is working to positively transform lives and society through its expertise, software and investments, and partnerships with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Creative Lab.

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SAP is also partnering with Habitat for Humanity to provide access to shelters and assistance for families whose homes were destroyed or deemed inhabitable from the 2010 earthquake. In the 12 months since the Haitian earthquake, SAP employees have donated more than $538,000USD to various non-profit organizations supporting Haitian relief efforts. SAP has matched these donations dollar-for-dollar, and has committed $538,000USD directly to Habitat for Humanity International for reconstruction efforts.

"At SAP, we are focused on making the world run better," said Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO of SAP AG. "We have brought that same focus to our relief efforts in Haiti over the past year and are moving beyond the 'one-time donation' concept by partnering with Professor Yunus on long-term economic development with the goal of creating enduring prosperity for the people of Haiti."

Sustainable Employment Through Social Businesses

SAP and its partners are providing support to new social businesses through the YY Haiti (Yunus & You) Social Business Fund and the newly created Grameen Creative Lab Haiti. The businesses will focus on solving specific social problems in sectors in areas such as vocational training, agriculture, nutrition, environmental stewardship and information technology (IT). The first social business pilots, including a cocoa processing factory in Camp-Perrin and an eco-hotel in Cap Haitien, will be launched soon, with additional social business ideas in the planning phase.

Empowering Haitians to Help Themselves

Haitians will handle the projects from idea generation to implementation, and will own the businesses that are developed. To support these efforts, Claudine Francois, a Haitian-born professional with private sector and international development expertise, has been appointed to lead the Grameen Creative Lab Haiti.

Expatriate Haitians are also encouraged to work with the Grameen Creative Lab Haiti by offering their expertise and creativity to help reconstruct their country. The initiative aims to encourage young Haitians to see a future for themselves and not to leave their country during this critical phase of rebuilding.

To help ensure that Haitian entrepreneurs possess the necessary business skills to set up sustainable social businesses, SAP is supporting an entrepreneurial excellence competition for 2,000 young Haitians. The project, which was launched by the Foundation Etre Ayisyen in January, will also sponsor the top 50 students in setting up their own businesses.

"The Grameen Creative Lab Haiti will promote economic empowerment for Haitians by fostering the creation of social businesses in Haiti," said Professor Muhammad Yunus, CEO of the Grameen Bank, founder of the Yunus Centre and originator of the microcredit and social business concept. "We are proud to partner with SAP, whose passion and expertise will contribute to the long-term success of job creation in Haiti."

Social businesses generate employment and focus on social objectives in essential areas. Another characteristic of social businesses is that they are non-dividend, non-loss businesses, meaning that investors get only their initial investments back. They are self-sustainable and provide multi-faceted, viable long-term economic solutions for developing countries.

SAP and Habitat for Humanity International

SAP has partnered with Habitat for Humanity International in Haiti to provide access to shelter and assistance to help impacted populations resume economic activities as part of the low-income housing value chain. Habitat's overall goal is to assist 50,000 families with housing solutions through this effort.

Starting in late January 2011, Habitat will break ground on one of the first of many reconstruction zones, in partnership with SAP, in the municipality of Leogane near the epicenter of the earthquake. Specific project goals include:

• Building 665 permanent homes for families (approximately 3,325 individuals) chosen through a beneficiary selection process
• Providing income-generating skills in construction training, risk reduction and environmental protection to 500 people
• Training at least 70 people from the local community as construction workers and foremen
• Supplying livelihood support by employing 100 people

"Habitat for Humanity is grateful for SAP's generous support of Habitat's work in Haiti," said Mark Crozet, senior vice president of Development, Habitat for Humanity International. "Working together, we will make a difference in the lives of Haitian families who lost their homes in the earthquake and are now in need of decent housing."

About The Grameen Creative Lab

The Grameen Creative Lab (GCL) is a social business founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus and serial entrepreneur Hans Reitz. The company's vision is to serve society's most pressing needs. Leading by example, the GCL accelerates and spreads the Grameen social business movement under the principles of Prof. Yunus worldwide. For more information, visit www.grameencreativelab.com.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 400,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 2 million people. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit www.habitat.org.

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 105,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol "SAP." For more information, visit www.sap.com.

(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, and related applications.

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