A mining mogul and billionaire Andrew Forrest has pledged a whopping $70 million towards the recovery from the Australian bushfire crisis and prevention of similar incidents in the future.
The Fortescue Metals founder and chairman has made the substantial donation together with his wife via the Minderoo Foundation charity.
As the businessman explained, $50 million of the donation will go towards plans and strategies that will help Australia “avoid a tragedy striking to this extent ever again.”
Another $20 million will be directed at emaciated communities and the residents most affected by the crisis, whereas $10 million will contribute to providing immediate relief with the help of the Salvation Army and the Australian Red Cross.
“With incredible courage and determination, Australians have united to help those devastated by these bushfires. We recognize that we don’t have all the answers, but we want to understand what communities need and do our bit to help them,” Andrew Forrest told the reporters.
“We are putting $50 million on the table to create resilience in order to encourage other companies and philanthropists from Australia and around the world to build a resilient Australia so we might avoid a tragedy striking to this extent ever again.”
As the Fortescue Metals boss added, the extent of the damages caused by the bushfires is difficult to fully understand.
“We hope the Minderoo Foundation’s contribution will complement existing efforts, provide hope to those hurting and encourage others to help in any way they can,” he added.
Meanwhile, dozens of celebrities and prominent figures have joined the cause and made remarkable contributions towards firefighters tackling Australia’s worst-ever bushfire crisis.
Some of the well-known figures that made, or pledged, massive donations include James Packer, Chris Hemsworth, Kylie Jenner, Justin Hemmes, Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, band Metallica, Russell Crowe, Dacre Montgomery, Rebel Wilson, Elton John, and Pink.
As for the comedian Celeste Barber, she has managed to raise over $33 million via her global Facebook fundraiser.
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