The DHL Group together with SOS Children’s Villages are celebrating half a decade of partnership success in helping improve the employability of young people across 12 countries in Africa. This partnership began in 2010 in South Africa and Madagascar and has since expanded to 9 other African countries that is Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mauritius, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda.
The objective of this partnership has been empowering youth and improving their employment prospects. The success of the partnership has been hinged on the commitment of DHL’s employees who volunteer their time to mentor youth aged 15-25 and to help them get ready for their foray into the job market. The employees mentor youth from both SOS Children’s Villages and SOS Family Strengthening Programs and also organizes a variety of tailored career development activities that deliver tangible results for the mentees. As a result the youth have become self-reliant, responsible and contributing members of society.
Over the past 5 years, DHL Group has organized a variety of activities in the 11 countries including job shadowing, mentorship programs, skills transfer, internships, sports activities and environmental initiatives. To discuss the challenges encountered this far and future plans, an inaugural conference has been taking place over the last four days in Kenya. The teams will look into issues and challenges and workshop new ideas on how to further strengthen the partnership in Africa and Middle East.
As part of the DHL Group GoTeach program, the group works with two firmly established global partners. Teach for All and SOS Children’s Villages with a view to improve educational opportunities and employability for young people. Through its partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, DHL Group today works with villages in 26 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. In 2014 the Groups volunteers organized more than 160 different activities reaching more than 1,600 young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, offering over 100 internships and employing 25 young people.