Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL Group), the world’s leading logistics company, together with non-governmental organization SOS Children’s Villages, have celebrated half a decade of a successful partnership that has helped to improve the employment prospects of disadvantaged young people from SOS Children’s villages across 11 countries in Africa. The partnership between DPDHL Group and SOS Children’s Villages began in 2010 in South Africa and Madagascar and has since expanded to nine other African countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mauritius, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda.
“Education and employability are highly important topics for Deutsche Post DHL Group and, through our GoTeach program, play a central role in our Corporate Responsibility strategy,” said Christof Ehrhart, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications and Responsibility, Deutsche Post DHL Group. “We are keen to support the direct development of future logistics talent, but we also firmly believe that education and employability make an important contribution to stability and prosperity in the world, Through five years of partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, we have already seen first-hand the benefits and positive impact that engagement between business and charities that create opportunities for young people can have.”
“Empowering youth and improving their employment prospects is the objective of the international partnership between SOS Children’s Villages and Deutsche Post DHL Group. The success of our partnership is rooted in the commitment of our employees who volunteer their time to mentor youths aged 15-25 and to help them get ready for their foray into the job market,” said Christoph Selig, Head of GoTeach Program, Deutsche Post DHL Group.
“Employees mentor youths from both SOS Children’s Villages and SOS Family Strengthening Programs, and organize a variety of tailored career development activities that deliver tangible results for the mentees,” he added. “It really has been a joy to see the partnership and correspondingly, our outreach to young people, grow. To date, our employees have engaged with over 3,500 youths in Africa.”
Over the past five years, DPDHL Group has organized a variety of activities in the 11 countries, including job shadowing exercises, mentorship programs between DHL employees and SOS children, skills transfer, internships, sports activities and environmental initiatives.
To discuss challenges and future plans, an inaugural conference will take place over four days in Kenya, with teams from both organizations coming together to jointly develop new ideas on how to further strengthen the partnership in Africa and the Middle East.
Speaking from the inaugural regional Africa DHL-SOS Children’s Villages GoTeach Conference in Karen, Nairobi, where more than 50 participants from both organizations are meeting from July 14 to 17, Tom Were, National Director, SOS Children’s Villages Kenya, said, “While SOS provides a loving home for the children that we care for, DHL enables their independence through their employee volunteer program. The program empowers our youth through exposure to the working world and educating them on the career options available. As a result, our youth become self-reliant, responsible, and contributing members of society. We are looking forward to deepening this partnership and extending our outreach to more youth in Africa over the next few years.”
As part of the DPDHL Group GoTeach program, the Group works with two global partners, Teach For All and SOS Children’s Villages, to improve educational opportunity and employability for young people.
Through its partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, which was established in 2010, DPDHL Group today works with Villages in 26 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.(1) Along with financial support for educational programs and youth facilities, the activities focus on career guidance, teaching basic professional skills and providing young people with their first exposure to the working environment. DPDHL Group collaborates closely with local SOS Children’s Villages to develop support measures tailored directly to the needs of the community.
In 2014, DPDHL Group volunteers organized more than 160 different activities reaching more than 1,600 young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, offering over 100 internships and finally permanently employing 25 young talents.
Corporate Responsibility is an integral part of DPDHL Group’s corporate strategy with “Living Responsibility” as its motto. It focuses on environmental protection (GoGreen), disaster management (GoHelp) and education (GoTeach) and supports employee volunteerism through Global Volunteer Day, and the Living Responsibility Fund.