DHL kicks off Global Volunteer Day 2013

4 Sep 2013

Over the next 10 days, DHL's employees across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, along with their business partners and customers, will volunteer in various community programs across these regions as part of the company's Global Volunteer Day (GVD) 2013 celebrations.

In 2012, DHL's employee volunteer program globally saw over 62,000 volunteers in about 120 countries participate in more than 1,000 programs which benefitted local communities directly.

DHL also announced that GVD, traditionally an annual week-long initiative held in September, has now been extended to become a year-long program in an effort to further boost participation in volunteerism within the communities the company operates in. With some 285,000 employees, and operations in over 220 countries and territories, the company's active support for employee volunteerism is an effort to make a significant impact across the globe.

Active supporter of communities

"DHL has always been an active supporter of the communities in which we live and work. Just last year, our employees participated in more than 40 programs, helping over 28,000 beneficiaries. Now, through the extension of our Global Volunteer program, we aim to commit more volunteers, and reach out to the many other communities which require support across the region," said Charles Brewer, managing director, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa.

"As part of Global Volunteer Day last year, we leveraged our global partnership with SOS Children's Villages in Nairobi and Mombasa to engage in community activities," said Roger Olsson, chief executive officer, DHL Global Forwarding Sub-Saharan Africa.

"DHL's business philosophy is based on the premise that healthy communities are good for business and prosperity. The extension of our volunteer program represents our commitment to giving back to the African communities where we have been in operation since 1978?, said Paul Graham, chief executive officer, DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

Introduced in Asia Pacific in 2008, Global Volunteer Day has expanded into the Americas, Middle East, Africa and Europe over the years, and continues to build on its success by involving more employees and community projects. As a sustained program, local country teams organize and participate in recurring activities with beneficiaries and/or partner organizations that deliver significant sustainable impact. These programs deliver to the company's core programs - GoGreen, GoHelp, and GoTeach.

Source: APO