DHL Global Forwarding, the leading international freight specialist arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group (or DPDHL Group), on Monday (8 Mar) commemorated six years of partnership with SOS Children’s Villages (SOSCV) at a DHL GoTeach Donation Ceremony.
Working together with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) focused on supporting children without parental care and families at risk, DPDHL Group has reached out to more than 2,500 beneficiaries in Indonesia through mentorship and educational activities and a contribution of €140,000 (IDR2.4 billion) since 2014.
“As one of the largest employers in the world, the Group is supportive of programs that prepare job seekers for the working world, especially during such challenging times. Today, we are proud to commemorate our six years of partnership with SOS Children’s Villages at the DHL GoTeach Donation Ceremony,” said Thomas Grunau, Global Head of Business Strategy & Digitalisation at DHL Global Forwarding.
During the ceremony, Mr Grunau presented a donation of €5,000 to SOSCV Indonesia in support of the GoTeach project, which offered an online employability training to more than 1,000 young people all over Indonesia in 2020.
GoTeach is a group-wide corporate responsibility program aimed at improving youth employability for those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Educational and mentorship activities are regularly organised to better prepare them to enter the working world.
With the support of 12 volunteers, the online training sessions – covering employability related topics such as job interview and resume writing skills – will continue in 2021 until social distancing measures ease up.
The program is the brainchild of Elok Vinindya Wardhani, Marketing and Corporate Communications at DHL Global Forwarding Indonesia, who was recognised for her initiative and effort with the organisation’s CEO award in the category sustainability.
“In today’s rapidly changing world, education paves the way to a stable, sustainable and prosperous tomorrow. Through the GoTeach program, DHL hopes to help the youth in Indonesia to develop the skills and confidence to enter the professional world,” said Vincent Yong, President Director at DHL Global Forwarding Indonesia.
“With 509 employees across all business divisions volunteering for more than 3,000 hours in the past six years, GoTeach also delivers opportunities for our employees to actively contribute and play a role in the community,” he added.
According to UNICEF, there are approximately 24 million students who have dropped out of school as a result of the pandemic, adding to the 870 million students or half of the world’s student population in 51 countries who have yet to return to school.
“The sustainability and power of an economy and the society depend on a strong educational system and targeted efforts to develop the next generation of working professionals,” said Gregor Hadiyanto Nitihardjo, National Director at SOS Children’s Villages Indonesia..
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, jobs and livelihoods have been impacted, deepening the need for training and mentoring programs, such as GoTeach, for our youth to continue to develop their competencies and capabilities to reach their dreams. SOS Children’s Villages is happy and proud to join hands with DHL Indonesia to deliver on this commitment,” he added.
DHL’s continuous effort in contributing to local communities where they operate
In Indonesia, DHL Global Forwarding together with DHL Express and DHL Supply Chain have continuously focused on developing youth’s potential since 2014, sharing knowledge on soft and hard skills as well as supporting career development and employability for young people.
The GoTeach program has been conducted in several locations across Indonesia such as Meulaboh, Banda Aceh, Medan, Jakarta, Lembang, Semarang, Bali, and Flores.
For the past six years, DHL employees have actively become mentors in several GoTeach activities such as skill preparation, job shadowing, DHL facility tours, internships, and dream camp activities at SOS Children’s Villages to improve employability.
The initiative is also part of DPDHL Group’s effort to contribute to local communities where they operate.