SINGAPORE, Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- DHL, part of Deutsche Post DHL, the world's leading postal and logistics group, today kicked off its annual Global Volunteer Day (GVD) 2013 celebrations. Over the next 10 days, DHL employees across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, along with their business partners and customers, will volunteer in various community programs across these regions. 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.
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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.
"Last year's Global Volunteer Day resulted in an extraordinary demonstration of the company's enthusiasm and commitment to service with over 11,000 individuals receiving help from our volunteers," said Nour Suliman, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Express, Middle East and North Africa. "We aim to continue this shared commitment and drive more participation from our people towards social responsibility through the year."
"Since our first Global Volunteer Day five years ago where we activated 15,000 volunteers world-wide, this company initiative has quickly become a tradition at DHL," said Claudio Scandella, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Global Forwarding, Middle East, North Africa & Turkey." Last year's Global Volunteer Day saw over 800 DHL employees from the Middle East and North Africa actively participate in activities such as art therapy with special needs children as well as a blood donation drive in partnership with the National Blood Bank. We are excited to carry that momentum into this year as we work side-by-side with local organizations to provide service to the communities where we live and work."
"DHL has been operating in the Middle East and North Africa since 1976, and we have a responsibility to support the needs of the communities especially for future generations," said Paul Graham, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. "Transitioning to a year-long program will do just that. This year, we are determined to grow our contribution and exceed our previous target of 19 programs across the regions."
First introduced in Asia Pacific in 2008, Global Volunteer Day 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.
In addition, Deutsche Post DHL supports the voluntary engagement of its employees via the "Living Responsibility Fund". Twice a year, employees can apply for financial support for their projects in the following year. The amount of support granted depends on the time the employee devotes to the project. In 2012, the company supported 104 projects involving more than 9,000 employees in 48 countries who volunteered 61,000 hours of their time to local projects. Together with the three Corporate Responsibility programs, employee volunteerism has been an integral part of the Corporate Responsibility Strategy under the motto "Living Responsibility".
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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 285,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting environmental protection, disaster management and education.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 55 billion Euros in 2012.
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