As part of GCC Services’ commitment to gender equality, and to commemorate International Women’s Day, in 2021 GCC Services completed the refurbishment of Um Ayman Elementary School for Girls in El Fasher, Darfur/Sudan. 750 girls attend this school, and the project is expected to impact students for 5+ years. In this project 10 GCC Services team members worked with the local community to identify the school and complete the project using local contractors. The project included drilling a well, providing desks & chairs, painting, roof repair and floor work. In addition to improving education, each local contractor assigned the project was able to support their family while working on the project. This is GCC Services’ 4th school renovation in the Darfur region. School refurbishments projects directly support the team’s goals to improve education and employment in the communities in which it operates.

National Aviation Services (NAS) and Agility are collaborating to support Born to Learn, an education NGO operating in Tanzania. With NAS and Agility’s resources, a technological and multimedia classroom was outfitted to support 350 students, from ages 3 to 22. Our contributions have provided computers, tables & chairs, a project & screen, and monthly maintenance costs. In addition to vocational skills training, the classroom will be used to teach English, math, biology, history, geography, arts, and music. As well, internships will be offered to deserving students at NAS offices in Tanzania. NAS employees will also engage in running workshops relating to technology and computer use to further enhance the children’s knowledge and skills.

National Aviation Services and Agility partnered to construct a canteen for a local school in Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire. The new canteen created a shaded area for 250 students and faculty to take a break and eat a meal in a safe, comfortable space. The canteen includes a special ramp to make it wheelchair accessible and is available for community members to use outside of school hours. Prior to the construction of the canteen, the students had no shelter from the heat or rain during mealtime, or had to return home for meals. By having a canteen on the school property, students are more likely to stay at school for the entire day.

GCC Services partnered with the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) in Kenya, to sponsor a vocational training program supporting disabled trainees. GCC Services employees are assigned to be a mentor to groups of students, and a selected number of students follow the program with an internship at Agility Kenya. In December 2021, 21 students were selected for the program, who will complete vocational training programs in electrical wiring, food & beverage production, information communication technology  and motor vehicle maintenance.

Five Years Supporting UNHCR from Agility on Vimeo.

With Agility’s support over the past five years, UNHCR was able to help people in Malaysia, Jordan, Lebanon and Uganda with basic needs, from livelihoods, education to health interventions.

Photo Credit: International Rescue Committee

Agility, a leader in supply chain services, innovation and investment, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization that provides emergency aid and long-term assistance to populations affected by conflict and other catastrophes, have partnered to provide entrepreneurship and life skills training to youth in Côte d’Ivoire.

As part of the IRC’s Strengthening Opportunities for Youth Project (PRO-Jeunes), which also receives funding from the Mastercard Foundation and the Schneider Electric Foundation,  380 young people will be trained at Agility’s Logistics Park in Abidjan. The training focuses on financial management, entrepreneurship, gender equality awareness, and business plan development support. At the end of the program, students will have access to financial resources to start a business or will receive help finding jobs. The program also offers a vocational training track, focusing on agriculture or information and communications technology.

The Agility-IRC partnership is intended to help young people in Abidjan between the ages of 15 and 30, and at least 60% of participants are expected to be female.

Geoffrey White, CEO of Agility Logistics Parks Africa, said: “Agility has continuously supported education through the global initiatives of its sustainability program. It is extremely important to provide youth with the necessary tools and resources to increase their chances to find suitable jobs and secure their futures. In Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere, we aim to work closely with our partners at IRC to make sure students receive the support they need to grow in their fields.”

Patrice BOA, Coordonateur – Relance et Développement Economique, International Rescue Committee – Côte d’Ivoire, said, “Bringing IRC and Agility together to combine experience, relationships, material, funding and commitment, we’re able to give young people in Côte d’Ivoire access to quality life skills training, which we hope will enhance their future employability. With Agility’s assistance and the space they have provided, we’re able to include more young people into our PRO- Jeunes program in Abidjan.”

Agility established a similar program at the Agility Logistics Park in Tema, Ghana, where the company runs a vocational training program in collaboration with a local non-governmental organization. Since 2018, more than 380 students have graduated from the program, which provides free vocational and technical training and job-placement assistance. Agility is engaged in several long-term partnerships involving education and training programs that aim to improve employment opportunities in the communities where Agility operates. Agility focuses on secondary education and vocational training and aims to ensure that at least 50% of participants are girls and women.

At the Agility Logistics Park in Tema, Ghana, Agility runs a community vocational training program in collaboration with Oiada International. The program, which began in 2018, provides free vocational and technical training to local students, in electrical work, brick-making and basic IT and computer skills. Between 2018 and 2020, 380 students have graduated the program and Agility and Oiada supported graduates to find proper job placements or internship opportunities. Agility aims to find job placement opportunities for 90% of its graduates, and aims to include 50% females in all its training courses.

In 2021, Agility included Soronko, a local nonprofit, into the program to support 30 women with coding classes. The partnership with Oiada and Soronko is expected to reach more than 300 students through vocational training, including online classes, and job placements by the end of the year to support nearly 700 students since the program launch.

Agility, a leading global logistics provider, has donated the transportation of nine tons of medical materials from China to Uganda for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo.

The donation, through One Million Kilos, Chapter 1 of Qatar Airways Cargo’s sustainability program “WeQare” included more than 50,000 surgical kits to be used at hospitals and medical centers in Kampala, Uganda. In China, Agility’s teams received, inspected and packaged the materials for export. The cargo was flown to Kampala, Uganda, by Qatar Airways Cargo; upon arrival, Agility facilitated customs clearance and delivered the goods to UNHCR.

Michael Blaufuss, Agility SVP of Air Freight, said: “This project demonstrates the value that Agility brings to its customers and charity partners. Our teams were able to work quickly with UNHCR and its vendors to export the medical gowns during the holiday period, and get them to in Kampala. The donation of space by Qatar Airways Cargo was critical in getting the supplies to the destination quickly.”

‘1 Million Kilos’ is the first chapter of WeQare, where charities were able to use the services of Qatar Airways Cargo through freight forwarders and transport humanitarian aid and medical supplies all over the world, free of charge.

Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how essential air freight is in the time of crisis.  Through WeQare’s One Million Kilos campaign, we are pleased to support Agility and UNHCR in transporting essential supplies to places where they are needed the most. “

Nader El Nakib, Head of Private Sector Partnership; Kuwait, said “This donation will be used by UNHCR’s medical teams to help displaced persons receive improved medical care, while protecting UNHCR’s frontline health workers. We are especially grateful that Agility and Qatar Airways were able to provide these international air cargo services during the global pandemic. This donation means UNHCR can redirect funding to support other beneficiaries in need of assistance.”

Agility has a globally recognized sustainability program, covering humanitarian logistics, community volunteerism, fair labor and environmental sustainability. Agility is part of the FTSE4Good Index Series, a resource used by investors to identify companies around the world with strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. Agility is also ranked in the top 10% of all companies and the top 4% of the logistics industry for overall sustainability performance by EcoVadis. Since 2006, Agility has responded to 75+ humanitarian crises since 2006 across the world.