8.24.2007 - 12:09pm ET

(CSRwire) SILVER SPRING, MD - August 24, 2007 - Working in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the City of Aceh, the Chevron Global Fund announced a $4.8 million grant to CHF International for the construction of Polytechnik Aceh, a full-scale vocational training facility that will be a major step forward in the economic recovery of Aceh, one of the hardest-hit regions of the 2004 tsunami.

This project is part of the Vocational Training Alliance, a partnership between Chevron and USAID to restore people’s livelihoods for the long-term by developing training programs and building local capacity to provide the people of Aceh with the skills they need to obtain jobs. Slated for completion in August 2008, this facility, which is the second of two being funded by Chevron, will include classrooms, laboratories, a library, a main hall, and administrative offices, and once open will provide skills training to hundreds of Acehnese people.

"CHF International is proud to partner with the Chevron Global Fund on this important project," said CHF's Senior Vice President, Dr. Judith A. Hermanson. "We believe this is a critical opportunity for the people of Aceh to not only accelerate economic recovery for their community, but also to lay the foundation for long-term development, to build back better."

CHF has been working in Indonesia since the tsunami struck in December 2004. Building on its relief-to-development approach, CHF's programs have focused on revitalizing the local economy by restoring lost assets, rebuilding major marketplaces, and providing vocational training to restore the livelihoods that had been devastated by the tsunami. CHF’s programs have also included the construction of 1,000 permanent homes for families who had lost everything.

In addition, following the earthquake that rocked the Indonesian island of Java in May 2006, destroying more than 300,000 homes, CHF and its partners responded within hours, distributing emergency relief supplies, assessing the damage and establishing medical outposts. Over the last year, CHF has mobilized local communities and engaged with public- and private-sector partners to build more than 10,000 transitional shelters that are made from locally-available materials, creating income-generating opportunities for survivors, and giving people the opportunity incrementally reconstruct their homes and rebuild their lives.

Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies. Headquartered in San Ramon, California, the company has a diverse, multicultural workforce comprising approximately 56,000 employees. Its subsidiaries conduct business in more than 180 countries. Chevron operates across the entire energy spectrum, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas; refining, marketing and distributing fuels and other energy products and services; manufacturing and selling petrochemical products; generating power; and developing and commercializing the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Through its operations, and through the Chevron Global Fund, Chevron seeks to be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership and performance.

Established in 1952, CHF International has worked in more than 100 countries empowering vulnerable populations to build physical and social infrastructure, enhance economic opportunities, and lay the foundation for peaceful communities to thrive. Directly serving more than 15 million beneficiaries each year, CHF International’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for long-lasting positive change in low-income communities, helping them improve the social, economic, and environmental conditions. CHF's programs in Indonesia have been funded by a range of public- and private-sector partners, including USAID, AIG, Dow Chemical, the American Red Cross, UNICEF, and the World Bank, to rebuild the homes and lives of thousands of affected families. More information about CHF is available at www.chfinternational.org

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