ups helps school children in south africa
UPS supports Safa School’s Hands-to-Hearts project by shipping boxes of toys, books and school stationery to South Africa
Committed to making a positive difference by supporting community based initiatives, United Parcel Service UAE LLC, recently partnered with Safa School on their Hands-to-Hearts project, a programme aimed to offer sustainable support to local schools in Knysna, South Africa.
Initiated in 2004, the Hands-to-Hearts project was set up to support and create a long term relationship with schools which strive to provide a safe and secure learning environment for children who are homeless and orphaned, giving them hope for the future.
Sinethemba, meaning 'we have hope’ in Swahili, is one of the schools in Knysna that was established to address the growing concerns relating to the future of children, particularly the homeless children in Knysna.
Aimed at supporting Sinethemba’s cause, students and teachers from Safa School worked together to collate toys, books and teaching aid supplies which UPS then shipped to Knysna.
“We are grateful to UPS who have been very supportive of our Hands-to-Hearts project. Their team has generously donated their time and services to deliver our boxes of love and hope to Sinetemba,” said Jane Knight, Headmistress for Safa School.
“When we heard of the Hand-to-Hearts project and the worthy cause it supported, we wanted to be a part of this community outreach. The teachers and students have been doing an admirable job in offering the basic needs to the children in Africa and providing them with tools that will support their educational needs,” said John Tansey, Country Manager, United Parcel Service (U.A.E.) LLC.
“Both regionally and globally, UPS places great importance on community service and we continue to support causes such as children in need and education,” said Tansey.
The boxes containing nearly half a tonne of toys, books and provisions will reach Sinetemba in June and will provide better learning opportunities to their children. The Hands-to-Hearts project undertakes similar assignments on a regular basis including auctioning items to collect funds that are donated to various charities in the UAE and South Africa.
In UAE, UPS’s work with Safa Schools underscores both its ongoing corporate social responsibility initiatives, such as the company’s annual Global Volunteer Week, as well as the strategic logistics links between the UAE and Africa. Currently UPS has more than 16 aircraft that fly in and through the Dubai air hub from Europe (Cologne, Germany) and Asia (Hong Kong, China, Philippines) every week, carrying goods and packages assigned for delivery in the Middle Eastern, African, European and Asian markets.
