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STILL supports local children’s groups

Posted on by Keith McKinley

This year once again, the Hamburg-based company STILL is taking on social responsibility in the city and supporting the equal participation of Hamburg’s children and young people in education, culture and social interaction.

The company has donated €5,000 each to the local projects Mittagskinder Foundation (pictured), Kultur Palast Hamburg Foundation and the Wilhelmsburg Production School, and has also given around 1,500 chocolate Advent calendars to the three institutions as well as the Hamburger Tafel and the Arche in Hamburg-Billstedt.

Equal opportunities, rights, integration, education and a warm meal at least once a day – unfortunately, for many children and young people in Hamburg this is not a matter of course. Therefore, the commitment of social projects that work to give all children and young people a fair chance to have these things is all the more valuable.

“The past year was challenging on many levels. This is particularly true for young people,” explains Frank Müller, brand manager at the Hamburg-based intralogistics company STILL.” That is why it is particularly important to us this year to show them that we care about them and that we stand up for them and their future.”

And so he took the opportunity to visit all three projects in person and present them with the STILL donation cheque for €5,000.

STILL has been supporting the Mittagskinder Foundation and the Kultur Palast Hamburg Foundation for many years. Since last year, there has also been a cooperation with the Wilhelmsburg Production School.

At the Mittagskinder Foundation, around 200 Hamburg children regularly receive a healthy lunch, the shelter of a community, educational support and assistance with their homework. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many families have also been supported with shopping vouchers.

The Kultur Palast Hamburg Foundation has been bringing children and young people of different nations together in music and dance projects for 40 years, promoting cultural understanding and integration.

The Wilhelmsburg Production School is particularly committed to equal access to education. Here, young people are trained and qualified for the transition to the labour market after leaving school. To this end, the project offers product-oriented learning, among other things, in the five vocational fields of metal, wood, catering, retail and hairdressing.

“Thanks to STILL’s support, we have been able to expand the opportunities for digital learning at our facility,” reports Sabine Haugg, managing director BI Beruf und Integration Elbinseln gGmbH. “We are very happy about this, because being able to work confidently with digital media and tools opens up further opportunities for the pupils on the labour market.”

In addition to its ongoing support for the future, STILL is particularly keen to make children’s eyes shine in the days before Christmas. For this, the company donated around 1,500 chocolate Advent calendars to the Mittagskinder Foundation, the Kultur Palast Billstedt Foundation, the Wilhelmsburg Production School, the Arche Hamburg and the Tafel Hamburg. The sweet surprises for the Christmas season were distributed just in time for 1st December.

“We have around 100 children and young people who are looking forward to Christmas full of excitement. It is wonderful that STILL makes the waiting a little sweeter,” Annalisa Hesse, director of the Arche in Billstedt, is pleased to say. “Thank you very much for your support.”

“I can still remember the great joy and excitement of opening a little door every morning in the days before Christmas,” says Müller. “If we can do our small part to make this delight possible for children, we are happy to do so from the bottom of our hearts.”

Prologis aims to bring seasonal cheer

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Leading logistics property company Prologis will be giving back to charities across the UK and Europe when it embarks upon its ‘dock doors of giving’ campaign for the fourth year running.

The event will see employees, along with their counterparts based in the company’s office across Europe, raising money, donating much-needed items and giving up their time to support local charities throughout the month of December.

The annual charitable giving campaign was named ‘the dock doors of giving’, after the numbered dock doors on the company’s warehouses served as inspiration for a reverse advent calendar which has now become a month-long campaign of giving back to the charities and communities close to its Prologis Parks.

Organised by the Prologis EU Charity Action Team (CHAT), along with the company’s employees, customers, and supply chain, this year’s goal is to raise more than £178,000 (€200,000) to support a selection of charities, communities, and causes over the festive season.

First introduced in the UK in 2018, the company decided to extend the fundraising initiative across its European business for the first-time last year and returned over £244,000 (€275,000) to charities across Europe, outperforming the initial target of £178,000 (€200,000).

Among the UK-based charities who will receive support from the fundraising campaign this year are Acorns Children’s Hospice, Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid and Warwick-based charity Molly Olly’s Wishes (pictured). In total, 78 charities (29 UK charities and 49 charities across Europe) will benefit from this year’s campaign.

Paul Weston, Prologis UK regional head, said: “Giving back to charity and supporting the communities close to our Prologis Parks and offices is an important part of our culture and is integral to our ParkLife initiative.

“The pandemic has left many people reliant on the help of charities and good causes at a time when many have seen donations fall away or decrease and I’m enormously proud of the way our teams work tirelessly to volunteer, raise much-needed funds and donate essential items to help make Christmas that little but brighter for those in need.”

Rachel Ollerenshaw set up Molly Olly’s Wishes in 2011 following the death of her daughter Molly to a rare kidney cancer. The Charity emotionally supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families across the UK and is well-known for its therapeutic toy lion, Olly the Brave.

Rachel said: “We are so grateful to Prologis for picking us to take part in this ‘dock doors of giving’ campaign. Each gift we give to a child is around £500 so all funds donated and raised through this partnership will help to make such a difference to seriously ill children and young people. Our mission is to help make the dark days brighter so thank you Prologis for helping us to do just that.”

Transaid helps tackle Covid-19 in Uganda

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Transaid has commenced a major project to provide access to fast, quality Covid-19 screening for truck drivers at border crossings in Uganda. The initiative aims to help reduce the spread and impact of Covid-19 and lessen the economic burden on transport companies by offering rapid antigen testing for drivers – a move which it is hoped will help shape policies for the use of such tests in the future.

The international development organisation was invited to partner with FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, which seeks to ensure equitable access to reliable diagnosis around the world, as well as the Uganda National Health Laboratory Services (UNHLS), to deliver this essential work.

Together, the three organisations are setting out to assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of using rapid antigen tests to enable truck drivers to move safely across borders without the delays and costs experienced with more expensive and slower PCR tests, with a plan to advocate for national policy change if the validation studies prove successful.

Transaid will also be using its expertise from two existing Covid-19 projects supporting truck drivers in Uganda and Zambia, to further raise awareness of symptoms and prevention and to integrate road safety messages. It will also provide drivers, transport managers and transport associations with information to help support vaccine take-up in Uganda and the wider region.

Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid, said: “Right now, cross-border HGV drivers cannot equitably or affordably access fast and reliable testing, and this can lead to the rapid spread of Covid-19 amongst drivers and the communities they interact with. We are confident that making quality testing more widely available for drivers sets the foundation for adequate prevention, detection and response.”

Currently many borders require proof of a negative test result within the last 72 hours before allowing entry. This has led to long queues with drivers waiting several days for PCR test results, whilst a lack of access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), limited sensitisation and a high degree of interaction between drivers, communities and front-line workers at borders is increasing the risk of infection.

Dr. Emma Hannay, Chief Access Officer at FIND, said: “Testing is crucial to stopping the spread of Covid-19, but testing strategies must be fit-for-purpose. Rapid antigen screening is quicker, cheaper and more convenient than PCR testing, potentially providing a practical solution for truck drivers at border crossings. These rapid tests could help alleviate the congestion we are now seeing at borders, and also kerb the growing trade in fake negative test certificates, which is becoming a major public health concern.”

Dr. Susan Nabadda, Commissioner, National Laboratory and Diagnostic Services at UNHLS, added: “This project has come at exactly the right moment in the fight against Covid-19. We hope the findings can be used to influence policy by enabling rapid testing among asymptomatic truck drivers and fast track movement of trucks and goods across the border while protecting the population of Uganda and neighbouring countries.”

Ugandan transport companies have reported that the current slow pace of PCR testing at borders means a truck on international long-haul work is spending an additional 36 days idle per year.

Turnaround times have equally been impacted, with reports of drivers taking twice as long to complete the 1,150km journey between Kampala and Mombasa, reducing earning potential and leading to increased concerns from unions about the mental health of drivers. Some drivers have also reported security concerns at border posts and increased risk of theft to their cargo.

This new project is currently expected to run until December 2022 and will initially focus on the border crossings in Malaba and Busia – major ports of entry between Uganda and Kenya.

Transaid announces Mozambique expansion

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Transaid used the occasion of its recent annual showcase in London to announce the further expansion of its professional driver training programme into Mozambique – less than a year after securing the funding to launch a similar project in Ghana.

Chief Executive Caroline Barber shared the news with a group of around 100 corporate members and supporters gathered at law firm Ashurst LLP on Tuesday, highlighting how the international development organisation’s track record for delivering life-saving work means it is now regularly approached to expand its activities into new countries.

Opening the event, she said: “We have already built many sustainable and impactful partnerships around our road safety work, but sadly there remains considerable need for similar programmes in many more sub-Saharan countries.

“The Mozambique project is expected to kick-off later this month, with funding from the German government, and we are confident that by sharing our knowledge and expertise, we can improve training standards and make the roads safer for everyone.”

Recognising Transaid’s resilience during the pandemic, she added: “I am very proud that during these challenging times we have managed to carry on delivering impactful work and incorporated a successful COVID-19 response into many of our programmes. This has only been possible thanks to our strong partnerships, incredible teams and partners in Africa, and the remarkable support from the transport industry and those that fund our work.”

The showcase also provided an opportunity to share updates on many of Transaid’s 12 live programmes which currently span nine countries. This includes a recent project to help mobilise Africa’s young women into the labour force, by first understanding the challenges they face when accessing public transport in outlying neighbourhoods.

Transaid patron Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal also addressed the audience in a video message, in which she thanked the industry for its tireless support.

The event concluded with the presentation of the Victor Simfukwe Awards, in memory of the former Transaid team member who passed away in 2019 following a road traffic accident in Zambia. Now in their second year, the awards recognise an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to further the organisation’s work in the previous 12 months.

Transaid Project Officer Shadi Ambrosini was Highly Commended for his outstanding efforts across multiple projects, whilst the overall award was won by Guy Heywood, Director Marketing & Sales Europe at Hankook, for his outstanding fundraising achievements. Within the last year alone this has included running the London Marathon and cycling 503km across Malawi – both virtually.

Speaking after the awards, Heywood said: “There were definitely tough times during these challenges, but I completed each one with a smile on my face as I crossed the finishing line – both from knowing it was over, but also from the reassurance that Transaid will use the money to improve peoples’ lives. I am truly humbled to be associated with Victor; his dedication to saving and enriching lives was outstanding and what always impressed me was his positive and smiling attitude.”

Riders back in the saddle for Transaid

Posted on by Keith McKinley

A team of more than 30 riders from across the transport and logistics industry have completed the 170-mile ‘Way of the Roses’ challenge, cycling from Morecambe, Lancashire to Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, to raise money for Transaid, the international development organisation.

The epic coast-to-coast route was completed over two days on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th September, so far raising an estimated £29,000 to support Transaid’s life-saving work to improve road safety and access to healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.

Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising at Transaid, and one of the riders taking part in the event, said: “We have been waiting a long time to get back in the saddle for one of our cycle challenges, and after having to cancel several events during the pandemic, it was fantastic to finally be back on our bikes and raising money.

“A huge thank you to everyone who took part; particularly for smashing our fundraising expectations, and for the true grit and determination shown on the steep ascent between Settle and Brimham Rocks!”

The cyclists taking part represented around 20 companies from across the industry, including headline sponsor UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), and support sponsors PF Whitehead, Stanley Travel and TRS Tyres. Riders were also fielded from firms including ABE Ledbury, Alpine Travel, Backhouse Jones, BigChange, Bowker Group, Burton’s Biscuit Company, DHL Supply Chain, Goodyear, Go South Coast, Innovate 360, Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel, LDH (La Doria), Leica Biosystems, Marks & Spencer, Xpediator PLC and Z-Tech Control Systems.

Transaid now has its sights set on a return to international challenges with Cycle Malawi 2022 – which will see a team of more than 40 riders cover around 500km over five days, taking in the stunning Lake Malawi, Mount Mulanje, Liwonde National Park and the Zomba Plateau. 44 riders have already signed up, with just a handful of places still remaining. Revised dates for the event – postponed from 2021 – will be announced soon.

New trustees join Transaid board

Posted on by Keith McKinley

International development organisation Transaid has welcomed two new trustees to its board, bringing significant experience and its first member from Uganda – a country where Transaid has operated long term road safety and access to health care programmes.

Dr Olive Kobusingye, a Senior Research Fellow at Makerere University School of Public Health, and Gavin Williams, Managing Director, UK & Ireland of GXO, join a diverse team of 13 trustees with collective experience spanning international development, governance, road safety, supply chain and transport and logistics.

Olive has spent the last 10 years at Makerere University School of Public Health in the Head, Trauma, Injury and Disability Unit, working on various projects including investigating risk and protective factors for motorcycle injuries in Kampala and improving the evidence for pedestrian safety in Uganda.

Between 2010 and 2016, she was also Board Chair and Head of Secretariat at the Road Traffic Injury Network, a global road safety research agency working to reduce the burden of road traffic injuries. She also worked for the World Health Organisation between 2003 and 2008 as African Regional Advisor for violence and injury prevention.

Gavin first became actively involved with Transaid in 2009, when he cycled 420km from Lusaka to Victoria Falls as a member of a team taking part in Transaid’s Cycle Zambia challenge. With close to 30 years of experience in the logistics sector, his current role sees him lead the UK and Ireland’s logistics business of GXO, the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider (GXO spun-off from XPO Logistics on 2nd August, 2021).

Jo Godsmark, Chairperson of Transaid, says: “It is fantastic to welcome both Olive and Gavin to the board. Olive has been engaged with Transaid for five years, after Makerere University received a small grant from our innovation fund and delivered excellent work on post-crash response. She brings considerable expertise in road safety and access to healthcare research and programming in sub-Saharan Africa, and is highly respected in her field.

“Gavin’s appointment is also strategically important for Transaid, ensuring one of our longstanding corporate members and a major global logistics company is represented on the board. It is a real credit to the Transaid team that such senior business leaders are eager to become actively involved in steering Transaid’s life-saving work.”

Olive and Gavin join Jo and fellow trustees Joan Aitken, John Gurr, Bill Howie, Alan Hunt, James Keeler, Maeve Magner, Ishmael Muchemenyi, Phidelia Mwaba, Paul Orme and Helen Varma on the board.

For profiles of all trustees, visit: https://www.transaid.org/home/about-us/our-team/.

PF Whitehead to sponsor Transaid challenge

Posted on by Keith McKinley

One of London’s leading warehousing and logistics experts, PF Whitehead Logistics, says it is proud to be a silver sponsor of – and take part in – charity Transaid’s long-awaited Way of the Roses cycle challenge.

This years’ challenge will involve two days of cycling through the Lancashire countryside and Yorkshire Dales, covering a total distance of 170 miles. The Way of the Roses challenge is named after the 15th Century Wars of the Roses, where English civil wars were fought between the royal houses of Lancaster and York over control of the throne.

All money raised will go to transport charity Transaid who transform lives through safe, available and sustainable transport. They work with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Florence Bearman, Transaid’s Head of Fundraising, said on the charity website: “We were bitterly disappointed not to be able to go ahead with our planned events last year, and so we are absolutely thrilled to launch this exciting new fundraiser.

“Our cycle challenges are always a sell-out, with a real sense of camaraderie among the riders – but most importantly because they are a fantastic chance for supporters to raise essential funds for our lifesaving programmes – a cause close to all our hearts.”

This years’ Way of the Roses runs over the 23rd-26th September 2021, and marks Transaid’s sixth UK-based cycle challenge. Managing Director of PF Whitehead Logistics, Peter Whitehead, will be one of 40 participants to take part in the Morecambe to Bridlington adventure.

“As a proud Transaid ambassador, this will be my third challenge, after previous rides in Tanzania and Zambia,” says Peter. “I’m so excited to be climbing back on my bike. This charity not only improves transportation services within communities but also empowers people.”

The Way of the Roses’ cycle jersey design has also recently been revealed, with sponsor PF Whitehead Logistics’ logo clearly displayed on the left arm. The jersey itself is deep maroon with roses on both the back and front to symbolise the region’s infamous battle past.

Other riders for the event include like-minded individuals from across the transport sector who are all keen to fundraise for Transaid’s work in sub-Saharan Africa improving road safety and access to healthcare.

Family-owned and run since 1963, PF Whitehead Logistics was founded with a single van. Today, it operates a large fleet of modern vehicles across the UK and South East from it 50,000 sq m facility in South London. It offers warehousing, third-party logistics, pallet distribution and outsourced transportation, all, it says, with exceptional service and dependability.

To support Peter’s challenge and make a donation to Transaid, please click here.

 

 

Transaid scores training success in Uganda

Posted on by David Priestman

An independent assessment of international development organisation Transaid ’s Professional Driver Training Programme in Uganda has found that 100% of trainees felt the knowledge and experience acquired during the training equipped them with the necessary skills needed to enter the job market.

Of 194 drivers surveyed for the end of project evaluation report, conducted by an external evaluator, 90% also reported feeling safer on the road as a result of the training and 99% felt the training either met or exceeded their expectations.

The four-year project began in 2016 to improve the standards of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and public service vehicle (PSV) driver training and to expand training capacity throughout the country.

The objective has been to improve road safety in a country which suffers one of Africa’s worst road traffic incident rates, claiming an estimated 12,000 lives each year and to ensure Ugandan drivers can meet the needs of the private sector as demand for qualified drivers grows.

To date, the project has delivered specialist HGV & PSV training to 17 Ugandan trainers, representing 7 different training schools, and responsible for training 642 drivers overall – all to the standards of the East African Community (EAC) curriculum for large commercial vehicle drivers, developed by Transaid to harmonise road safety standards in the region.

A core component of the programme has been to train trainers and subsequently drivers of commercial vehicles, building local skills that will enable communities to continue the important road safety work in a sustainable manner, without requiring external support in the long term.

Reflecting on the work of the programme, Caroline Barber, CEO of Transaid, said: “We are incredibly proud of what this project has achieved over the last four years.

“The programme has driven up training standards and made training far more accessible to Ugandan drivers, upskilling the workforce. This will have a lasting impact on the transport and logistics sector in Uganda, and road safety more generally.

“Prior to the programme starting in 2016, driver training expertise was commonly imported from outside the country, whereas now we are seeing the transport sector utilising Uganda’s highly-qualified trainers – who are considered to be amongst the best in the region – a testament to the scheme’s success.

“As ever, none of this would have been possible without the phenomenal support from the UK transport and logistics industry, which has been pivotal to this programme’s success in providing staff and equipment for training and sharing industry best practice and knowledge with the local teams on the ground.”

Transaid’s involvement in this phase of the programme came to an end in November 2020, but the important work continues under the stewardship of its project partner Safe Way Right Way, at the specialist HGV & PSV training school in Mukono. Transaid is currently exploring options for a second phase to the programme to widen the impact and bring in a strong focus on women’s empowerment in the sector.

The programme has been undertaken in partnership with the German development cooperation’s Employment and Skills for Eastern Africa initiative, local non-governmental organisation Safe Way Right Way and the Ugandan government and local private sector.

The Professional Driver Training Programme in Uganda (PDTU) is an initiative of the GIZ Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) programme which is funded by the German and Norwegian governments. The initiative is being implemented in partnership with Transaid and Safe Way Right Way on behalf of GIZ E4D.

Menzies joins Transaid in bid to improve road safety

Posted on by David Priestman

Menzies Distribution Group has become the latest supporter to show its commitment to improving global road safety standards by becoming corporate members of international development organisation Transaid.

Menzies has pledged its support for an initial three-year period, just months after it acquired one of Transaid’s founding members Bibby Distribution (now Menzies Distribution Solutions).

The partnership will see Menzies contribute time, expertise, and resources to help Transaid deliver professional driver training programmes, transport management systems and provide rural access to transport in sub-Saharan Africa.

Alice Broster, Group Health & Safety Manager at Menzies, has also committed to joining Transaid’s Road Safety Advisory Board.

Greg Michael, Chief Executive Officer of Menzies, welcomed the news, saying: “Our colleagues from Menzies Distribution Solutions (MDS) did a fantastic job supporting Transaid for more than two decades, and we are excited to be continuing this strong association.

“Transaid’s commitment to global road safety is an issue close to our hearts at Menzies. With almost 5,000 employees and 4,000 vehicle assets operating across the UK, we recognise the huge value training plays in keeping our drivers and other road users safe. We firmly believe all drivers around the world should have the opportunity to build the skills they need to transform their future.”

The vital unrestricted funds provided by corporate members allows Transaid  to test and implement new projects, which have allowed it to develop longstanding HGV and PSV driver training programmes in both Tanzania and Zambia.

As a direct result of these projects, Transaid recently secured significant external funding to take its HGV training into West Africa for the first time, with a new three-and-a-half-year project starting in Ghana.

Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid, explains: “The support we receive from our corporate members means a huge amount, and is crucial to ensuring we can deliver many of our life-saving projects on the ground.

“Knowing we have the strength and support of Menzies and its nearly two centuries of supply chain experience behind us is amazing. We are really excited about the opportunities to work closely together.”

Transaid Expands Driver Training Programme to Ghana

Posted on by Keith McKinley

International development organisation Transaid has secured funding from Puma Energy Foundation for a major new professional driver training programme in Ghana – taking its successful road safety work to West Africa for the first time.

The three-and-a-half-year project will raise training standards and expand training capacity for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers, with the aim of reducing road traffic fatalities and injuries in the country – vital work given an estimated 7,000 people lost their lives on Ghana’s roads in 2016, according to the World Health Organisation.

Transaid is ideally placed to implement the programme, which began in February, thanks to its track record working with local partners to improve the driving standards of 50,000 commercial vehicle drivers across Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda since 2008 – and thanks to the enduring help and support of the UK transport and logistics industry.

Key to the success of the professional driver training programmes has been the involvement of Transaid’s UK corporate members, which has seen staff seconded to several countries in sub-Saharan Africa to share their knowledge, skills and best practice with local teams and provide much-needed equipment and funding on the ground.

Almost 95 per cent of freight is transported by road in Ghana and with heavy goods traffic expected to increase in coming years, there are concerns there will not be enough experienced, qualified drivers to safely meet the growing demand – and what this could mean for road safety.

Caroline Barber, CEO of Transaid, says: “We have seen first-hand the huge and positive impact our professional driver training programmes have had in sub-Saharan Africa, so to be able to expand this lifesaving work into Ghana, and benefit thousands more drivers, is really welcome news. It is our fundamental belief that every driver should be able to leave for a day’s work without the fear that they may not come home due to a lack of training, or dangerous vehicles and roads.”

One of the key objectives of the programme is to develop an enhanced driver training curriculum specific to HGV drivers, and push for its adoption at a national level by the Ghanaian government – to ensure consistency of training standards across the country with the aim of saving lives. Through its hallmark ‘Train the Trainer’ model, Transaid will build local skills to ensure sustainable and lasting change. The provision of quality professional driver training will be expanded, to increase access and ensure that drivers are trained to the highest standards – in turn, improving their access to future jobs and helping to drive economic growth.

Barber adds: “With heavy goods traffic on Ghana’s roads set to increase, action is needed now to save lives. And that is exactly what our programme is designed to do: ensure a safe and sustainable transport sector underpinned by a skilled workforce, improving outcomes for drivers and making Ghana’s roads safer for all.”

Vincent Faber, Executive Director of the Puma Energy Foundation, says: “We are honoured to collaborate with Transaid, a partner with whom we share the vision and commitment of promoting road safety. Transaid’s driving training programme for HGV drivers aims at setting higher safety and quality standards in Ghana’s transport sector and make it an important pillar in the economic development of the country. We are confident that our partner’s consolidated expertise in developing transport projects in Africa will help unfold an impactful solution to improve the safety of all road users.”

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