First introduced in Singapore back in 2008, GVD is now a globalinitiative - with DHL Group encouraging employees to volunteer innon-profit projects in the countries where they live. Over theyears, some 1.3 million volunteers have answered the call,dedicating more than 3.1 million hours in voluntary engagement intheir home communities. Across the DHL Group divisions, employeeshave focused their activities on environmental protection, disastermanagement, education and vocational training, refugee aid, healthand well-being, and social services. This has made GVD an effectiveteam building and employee engagement lever.
As Board Member for HR Thomas Ogilvie explains: "Connectingpeople and improving lives also means having a positive effect inthe communities we operate in and serve. Therefore DHL Groupencourages and supports Global Volunteer Day activities. We areproud of the positive impact our employees make with their GVDprojects. Our workforce has dedicated more than 3.1 million hoursin voluntary work since 2008, and some 100,000 employees step upeach year to volunteer for GVD. For us, it's not just about beingpart of a team, but about having a sense of belonging. It's aboutbeing part of a community and working to make things better for thepeople and places around us."
In this 15th anniversary year, "Follow the Sun" is the GVD 2023slogan inspiring DHL Group volunteers. Over a period of 15 weeks,they are working on GVD projects in 15 countries running from eastto west. Spanning the globe, these GVD anniversary activities areunder way in New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, India,Madagascar, Serbia, Uganda, Germany, the United Kingdom, Paraguay,Panama, Colombia and the United States. Employees are free tochoose the kinds of projects and activities they work on. The onlyrequirement is that they be aligned with the focus areas that makeup the sustainability strategy of DHL Group. With its longstandingGoTeach, GoHelp, GoTrade and GoGreen initiatives, the companysupports projects focusing on climate protection, improvingemployability for young people, disaster management, andfacilitating trade for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) indeveloping countries. A wide range of projects also receivefinancial support from the Group's own Improving Lives Fund.
