Apple CEO Tim Cook reveals 'substantial donation' to refugee crisis and promises to double all employees' donations

In an email to Apple employees, Cook wrote: 'Our hearts go out to these refugees'

Tim Cook announced that his company will match and double all its employees' donations to organisations providing humanitarian aid in the refugee crisis (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, has written of his concern for refugees in Europe in an email sent to staff, and revealed that his company is making a 'substantial donation' to humanitarian organisations working with suffering refugees.

As reported by the Telegraph, Cook's email read: "As we've all seen and read in the news, millions of people from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries have fled their homes because of war and persecution."

"Europe, where many hope to find safety, is experiencing a refugee crisis on a scale that hasn't been seen since World War Two."

"Thousands of people have already lost their lives as families embark on long and dangerous journeys across land and sea."

Cook wrote that Apple is making a "substantial donation" to agencies such as the Red Cross, who are providing aid and assistance to refugees in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Beyond the company's donation, he said he plans to make it easier for Apple users to donate to the Red Cross, through applications downloaded from the App Store.

And within the company, Cook promised that all Apple employees' donations to refugee agencies will be matched and doubled by the company.

The biological father of Apple founder Steve Jobs was a Syrian migrant to the USA (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Cook finished his email by saying: "Apple is dedicated to advancing human rights around the world. We hope the actions we're taking will help make the situation less desperate for some, and ease the hardship so many are enduring.

Although the humanitarian cost of the ongoing crisis has been huge, the plight of Syrians has always been close to the company's heart - the late founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, was the son of a Syrian man who met Jobs' mother when he moved to the USA to study.

Earlier this month, following the publication of the images of Aylan Kurdi, a young Syrian boy whose body was found washed up on a beach, members of the tech community were quick to point out Jobs' heritage on Twitter.