Atlanta, Georgia - Dachser will invest over EUR 1.1 million (USD 1.16 million) to humanitarian programs throughout India, Nepal, Brazil and Namibia over the next five years to bring lasting improvements to people’s lives by helping them help themselves. The global logistics provider started its collaboration with the children´s aid organization Terre des Hommes 10 years ago, supporting local aid projects in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with local aid projects ranging from education to sustainability. “Logistics brings people, markets, and production closer together. As a global company, it is incumbent that we strongly advocate for the living conditions of those who don’t benefit equally from globalization,” explains Bernhard Simon, CEO, Dachser. “It takes patience and a long-term outlook to make a sustained impact. That’s why we continue to support the work of humanitarian groups such as Terre des Hommes in India, while expanding our aid to other countries and continents.” Results of Uttar Pradesh Programs Collaborative programs with Terre des Hommes over the past decade have made significant impacts on the lives of numerous children and teenagers in 136 villages within the impoverished North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh: · Nearly 17,000 children and women received education about their rights as well as assistance to actively demand them in democratic Indian society. · Over 15,300 children took advantage of basic educational opportunities. About 60% subsequently attended state-run or private schools. Dropout rates fell by 40%. · Approximately 4,700 children—mostly girls—received vocational training in computer or handicraft courses. · In addition to children and teenagers planting over 14,200 trees in specific project locations, 117 composting units and 112 biogas systems were installed and 100 families received solar-powered lamps to enable children to study at night. · 97 schools received special tanks for drinking water and sanitary facilities. New Humanistic Programs on Three Continents India, Nepal: Dachser will continue to partner with Terre des Hommes on programs in Uttar Pradhesh until at least 2020, focusing on schooling and training, education on human and children’s rights, youth and women’s organizations, as well as both preserving and expanding natural resources in 50 villages. A new project will concentrate on improving living conditions of the Musahar, an Indian ethnic group in the region bordering Nepal that suffers from extreme discrimination and economic difficulty. Three villages in Nepal also will benefit from a project dedicated to providing access to clean water, sanitary facilities, education, and stronger women’s rights. In addition, Terre des Hommes plans to help young people in Mangolpuri, one of the largest slums in New Delhi, to return to school or become professionally qualified via e-learning modules. Brazil: Starting this year until at least 2017, Dachser is supporting the work of the Children’s Rights Center of Limeira, a part of the metropolitan region of Campinas, in the state of São Paulo. In providing an alternative to a life of crime and drug addiction for children and teenagers, the center provides both direct educational work in schools and alternative after-school programs as well as seminars in children’s rights for representatives of civil society stakeholders and government officials. Namibia: Dachser is working on a joint project with Terre des Hommes until the end of 2017 to improve future opportunities for the children of the San, also known as Bushmen. This oldest ethnic group in southern Africa mostly lives in great poverty around enormous farms or in shantytowns at the edge of small cities. In addition to focusing on early development and continuous support for regular elementary school attendance, the project focuses on vocational training, especially to girls, to prepare for employment in hotels and lodges, as well as development of handicraft skills.