DHL backs malnutrition project

DHL, the international express and logistics company, is giving $650,000 (£441,000) to support the efforts of Unicef and the Indian government to reduce malnutrition and infant mortality in the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra.

Unicef will use the donation in co-operation with the government, the Maharashtra administration, non-governmental organizations and other partners to strengthen health infrastructure. This will include educating villagers on the prevention and treatment of common communicable diseases, and providing immunizations and micronutrients to infants and young children.

Village information posts will be set up, workers and midwives will be trained, and computer equipment for staff training and support will be installed.

The programme is an extension of a global partnership through which DHL’s parent company Deutsche Post World Net supports Unicef projects in three regions of the world to reduce child mortality. The 2009 target is to raise the funds to vaccinate 50,000 children against the six main preventable child killer diseases. In India DHL will accelerate Unicef’s work with the government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of cutting Nandurbar’s under-five mortality rate to 41 per 1000 live births by 2015.

DHL will add a volunteer scheme enabling staff to contribute their time in support of Unicef’s Nandurbar effort. The volunteer programmes will be aimed at improving physical infrastructures and assisting local groups in enhancing quality of life among villagers.

Vijay Satbir Singh, the women and child development secretary in Maharashtra, said at the ceremony at which the project was announced: ‘The partnership with DHL is a good example of the private sector taking the initiative to champion developmental concerns in rural India, complementing the government’s commitment to inclusive growth.’

Karin Hulshof, Unicef’s India representative, said: ‘Community involvement is the key to sustainable development. If we are serious about improving child survival and reducing maternal mortality, we must give youth and their families the tools that will enable them to survive and lead healthy lives. This grant from DHL will allow Unicef and its partners to address the most pressing needs of children in this district.’