Habitat for Humanity and Dow Unite Efforts to Offer Housing to Local Communities in Warsaw, Poland

Dow employees supported construction work of a residential building to accommodate people with disabilities


Warsaw, Poland - -- Eleven employees from the Dow Warsaw offices volunteered to support the finishing work of a 4-storey house in Bielany, north-western district of Warsaw. The building of approximately 2000 sq. meters, consists of a residential part of 23 housing units aimed to accommodate 30 beneficiaries - people with mental and physical disabilities - and non-residential space in the basement and the groundfloor, where a canteen, laundry, kitchen, rehabilitation rooms and staff room will be located. In addition, the building will be serving at least 200 people with disabilities per year from the local community, using its facilities for rehabilitation.

"This marks the 29th year that Dow has supported Habitat for Humanity initiatives globally and for the first time in Poland. We were especially glad to participate in the Malwa project to offer sustainable housing for people with mental and physical disabilities" said Robert Stankiewicz, country manager of Dow in Poland. "Sharing the same goal with Habitat for Humanity, Dow volunteers worked under professional guidance for eight hours to jointly bring improvements in the lives of the local community" Robert concluded.

This project aligns with many of Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals, including energy efficiency, community success and local protection of human health and the environment.

"Thanks to Dow’s generous sponsorship and the volunteer engagement, we were able to move forward with the construction work in the building and accomplished much needed clearing of the outdoor area surrounding the building. Consequently, thirty people with disabilities will have safe and secure housing. The work completed by the volunteers not only speeded up the process of construction, but also it enabled us to save much needed financial resources, that will be used for other work in the building" commented Małgorzata Salamon, HFH director in Poland.

"We couldn’t be happier to have been able to take part in the Malwa project. Having passed a safety training session and worked for eight hours, under supervision of professional coaches, all of us, though tired, white in paint, felt extremely rewarded realizing that our contribution will support future residents of the building" Ewelina Demianiuk, Customer Service representative, shared her first-hand experience. "This was just one day of a bigger project, and we were part of it by offering our help and a few hours from our lives – which indeed makes a difference" she concluded.

Dow has been a proud local corporate citizen in Poland for almost 40 years, matching its business growth with community programs, aimed at ensuring favorable living conditions, providing disaster relief to the victims of flooding, as well as supporting national and regional educational initiatives.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Dow in Poland

Dow has been present in Poland for almost 40 years, offering a variety of performance and base plastics and chemicals for a wide range of downstream industries including automotive, oil and gas, packaging, building and construction, furniture, wire and cable, large appliances, water treatment and agricultural products. Since the official opening of the first representation offices in Warsaw in 1973, Dow’s operations in the country have grown significantly. Today, Poland is the third largest country for sales within the Dow East Europe Growth Region that reached in 2011 the turnover of more than half a billion USD and employed more than 120 highly qualified and motivated people. In addition to the commercial presence in Warsaw, the Company has a Polyurethane System House Service Center for customer support in Łazy (10 km outside Warsaw). Following Dow’s acquisition of Rohm and Haas in 2009, the Company further strengthened its position in the local market and expanded its presence with a new manufacturing facility built in Dzierżoniów by the SKC Haas joint venture company for the production of electronic materials. More information about Dow in Poland can be found at http://easterneurope.dow.com/eu/pol/pl/.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.habitat.org.

Dow’s Partnership with Habitat for Humanity

Dow’s commitment to Habitat for Humanity spans nearly 30 years and includes financial, product and volunteer contributions through a global partnership. Dow was one of Habitat’s first corporate partners in 1983. For 29 years, Dow has supported the construction of more than 25,000 homes – helping families live in decent, affordable housing in more than 20 countries worldwide including Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe, as well as North America. Dow’s partnership with Habitat aligns with many of Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals, including energy efficiency, community success and local protection of human health and the environment. Dow will continue its efforts to grow internationally with Habitat, to work collaboratively to develop strategies and programs that deliver greater impact and to provide innovative, sustainable products and technologies that enable Habitat to build homes, change lives and provide solutions to one of the world’s most pressing challenges.