As an expression of our commitment to being exemplary corporate stewards, growing with local communities, and our roughly 40-year partnership with the Carter Center beginning with YKK founder Tadao Yoshida, in April 2022 we provided 44,700 N95 medical masks to be used by Carter Center staff in Ethiopia and Sudan. This was done to help the NGO meet the requirement of both the governments of Ethiopia and Sudan that their staff wear masks when carrying out mass drug administration.
Regarding the fight against neglected tropical diseases, The Carter Center focuses on fostering both health and hope in poor and isolated communities around the globe. In Ethiopia and Sudan, it seeks to rid of river blindness (parasitic infection that can cause itching, skin problems, and permanent blindness) and trachoma (major bacterial eye infection common in under-sanitized communities) through mass drug administration programs. This drive is invigorated by founders Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, former President and First Lady of the United States respectively.
Learn more about The Carter Center’s health programs.
As an extension of our CYCLE OF GOODNESS® philosophy, which embodies our belief that no one prospers without rendering benefit to others, we hold that the value of our company’s very existence is confirmed by the benefits we share with society. In practice, this means we do not take our responsibilities as a good corporate citizen lightly, and never act without first ensuring our actions coexist with other elements of society.
Supporting The Carter Center was a team effort across the entire YKK group, with YKK (China) Investment Co., Ltd. procuring approximately 40,000 N95 medical masks to ship to Ethiopia, and YKK Corporation of America securing an additional 4,700 masks for Sudan.
