DHL Express Canada puts global logistics expertise to work for Free The Children and Me to We
New partnership secures free global DHL shipping worldwide in support of organizations’ key programs
Brampton, July 17, 2012 – DHL Express Canada announced today a global partnership with Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner, and Me to We, an innovative social enterprise that exists to support the work of its charitable partner, Free The Children, including donating half of its net profit. Through the unique partnership, DHL will provide free shipping services, storage and support for several of Free The Children and Me to We’s programs.
In the 17 years since its foundation, Free The Children has grown into the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than 3,500 schools involved in programming domestically, as well as development work that has brought holistic and sustainable infrastructure to countries overseas. To date, Free The Children has shipped more than $16 million worth of medical supplies to countries in need around the world. The new DHL Express partnership will alleviate shipping costs, enabling Free The Children to reinvest these savings into services for communities in need and other charity programs and initiatives.
DHL will also ship medical supplies that Free The Children receives as donations to various international countries it works in, in particular to its Baraka healthcare centre in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya. Further, to aid Free The Children with preparations for its signature national youth empowerment event, We Day, DHL will assist with cross-Canada shipments of supplies on a yearly basis, transporting items including gift bags, books and signage, décor and print media.
“It is our philosophy that good partners make good people, and a partnership with Free The Children aligns with DHL’s mission to be a socially conscious company,” said Greg Hewitt, president of DHL Express (Canada), Ltd. “This partnership enables us to help an important charity that makes a significant impact on children and families across the globe, and we are proud to be part of this great enterprise in furthering social change and supporting the spirit of entrepreneurship – something this company was also started on.”
“We are extremely grateful to DHL Express Canada for supporting our work in such a momentous way, and are thankful to have access to such extensive global business knowledge,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free The Children and Me to We. “As a not for profit organization we strive to keep our costs as low as possible, so that every penny donated by our supporters can be used to benefit the communities we work with. We foresee this partnership not only allowing us to better service the countries we already operate in, but to expand our work to other countries in need.”
The partnership will also support Me to We’s Artisans program. With the goal of bringing an alternative income source to women in Free The Children communities, the Artisans program gives more than 550 Maasai mamas a market for their traditional beadwork, while allowing them to support their families and gain access to financial literacy training. Me to We currently ships 150kg of products from Nairobi, Kenya to Toronto, Canada every two weeks. DHL will assist with shipping the products to corporate and individual customers in Canada, absorbing the cost of shipping the items, enabling the mamas to make more money and helping them connect to a greater market.
DHL Employee Engagement
DHL Canada is integrating support for the new partnership and the charity into its employee engagement strategy, and launching a multi-faceted program which makes it easy for employees and their families to directly participate in Free The Children initiatives.
DHL employees were the driving force behind the Free The Children partnership, indicating in a company-wide survey the desire to partner with a Canadian partner focused on Global issues, specifically issues with children. In return for their dedication and support, Free The Children will start programs for the children of DHL employees, allowing them to benefit from the local and international leadership experiences offered through the charity. There will be five youth academy scholarships available for employee children and opportunities for youth volunteer trips to Kenya, as well as family workshops and a We Day volunteer program.
DHL – The Logistics Company for the World
DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and “the logistics company for the world”. DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 275,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting climate protection, disaster management and education. DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of 53 billion euros in 2011. For more information, visit http://international.dhl.ca/en.html.
About Free The Children
Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children is a charity and educational partner that believes in a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change. Our domestic programs educate, engage and empower hundreds of thousands of youth in North America, the UK and around the world. Our international projects have brought over 650 schools and school rooms to youth and provided clean water, health care and sanitation to one million people around the world. For additional information, please visit www.freethechildren.com.
About Me to We
An innovative social enterprise, Me to We provides people with better choices for a better world, selling socially conscious and environmentally friendly clothes, books and accessories, and offering life-changing international volunteer trips, leadership training programs and an inspirational speakers bureau. In addition, half of Me to We’s net profit is donated to Free The Children, while the other half is reinvested to grow the enterprise and its social mission. For more information please visit www.metowe.com.
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Leily Shafaee
DHL Express Canada - Communications
LShafaee@argylecommunications.com
T 416.968.7311 x236