DHL and Safmarine Team Up to Boost Literacy in Senegal

KOLDA, Senegal, July 15, 2011 -

Purpose-built
library delivers global knowledge to local community

Long-term business partnersDHL, the world’s leading logistics
company, and shipping line Safmarine have joined forces to create
the first community library in Kolda, Senegal. The new Kolda
Community Library provides free access to global knowledge in the
form of 350 French school books in a purpose-built 95 square meter
facility that caters to all ages from six to 60 and is open six
days a week.

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The Kolda Community Library officially opened yesterday with
guests that included the mayor of Kolda, the regional council
president and the governor of Kolda.

Amadou Diallo, CEO, Africa and South Asia Pacific, DHL Global
Forwarding, said: “Many students in this rural area have gone
through the school system without having access to a single book.
To tackle the issues of poverty and social exclusion and give this
French-speaking community the opportunity to increase their
knowledge, DHL partnered Safmarine to build a community library.
GoTeach is one of DHL’s three Corporate Responsibility programs
with which we aim to champion education all over the world. The
Kolda Community Library reduces the local cost of education by
providing a valuable resource that’s free for the community to
access.”

DHL and Safmarine jointly funded the building and the stocking
of the library which includes French books covering a range of
interests from fiction/non-fiction, biographical novels, rapid
reads, school books, reference books, encyclopedias and
dictionaries.  

Tomas Dyrbye, CEO, Safmarine said: “Safmarine is continuously
seeking opportunities with our customers and stakeholders to
promote sustainable development through education. This is a great
opportunity to extend a helping hand for the first time in Senegal.
Like DHL, at Safmarine we believe our people should make a positive
difference in the community in which we operate. The Kolda
Community Library will help to improve the quality of life for
young Senegalese through better literacy and education which in
turn will lead to more job opportunities for the locals.”

The development of the community library is the first time
long-term business partners, DHL and shipping line Safmarine have
combined resources to help local communities.

Under the motto ‘Living Responsibility,’ DHL has a globally
active Corporate Responsibility strategy which includes three
programs: GoGreen (protecting the environment), GoHelp (delivering
help after natural disasters) and GoTeach (championing education).
Since 1991, Safmarine has been pioneering the re-use of containers
in South Africa to create clinics, schools and community centers in
impoverished areas as various other sustainability projects as part
of its People Making the Difference initiative.

Mr. Diallo added: “The Kolda Community Library shows DHL’s and
Safmarine’s long-standing commitment to meet the challenges of
global sustainable development. For DHL, the collaboration with
Safmarine in particular reaffirms the need for global solidarity
and recognizes the importance of strengthening our work with global
business partners so we can have a significant impact on global
sustainable development.”

- End -

Note to editor:

This project is one of the many Corporate Responsibility
projects by DHL and Safmarine as well as its stakeholders in
Africa.  

In 2010, DHL partnered with SOS Children’s Villages to offer
professional mentoring to orphans in Madagascar and South Africa in
addition to Brazil and Vietnam. Apart from the SOS Children’s
Villages partnership, DHL employees in Tanzania provided
translation, transport and organizational assistance to support
Jambo Bukoba’s “Life Skills for Games” program which has helped
30,000 children gain self-confidence and learn respect through
sport.

In June 2011, Safmarine and ADM Cocoa provided the funding for
the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Agricultural Logistics Skill
Development Programme at the KNUST School of Business in Kumasi,
Ghana and in 2007 Safmarine and non-governmental organisation
NetLib partnered to open a self-sustaining craftsman/trade school
in Liberia.

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
more than 51 billion Euros in 2010.

Safmarine
Safmarine is an independently-managed multi-trade shipping company
within the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, with a broad network focused
primarily on container transport to and from the core regions of
Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Safmarine’s
business in 2011 is significantly larger than it was in 1999. In
the 12 years since joining the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, Safmarine
has increased its volumes significantly from approximately 180
000FFE to 800 000 FFE. Safmarine currently does business in more
than 110 countries around the world. Our Safmariners share a common
goal: to be known as the ‘people making the difference in
shipping. For more information, visit href="www.safmarine.com/">www.safmarine.com

At DHL Asia Pacific & EEMEA, Corporate Communications and Sustainability, Anita Gupta, +65-6216-6290, fax, +65-6216-6603, or email: APEEMEACorpCommunications at dhl.com; At Safmarine Container Lines, Veronica Bradford, +27-21-788-99-62, fax: +27-21-788-99-63, veronica at communicators.co.za