DHL Global Forwarding has partnered with My Dream Now, a Swedish non-profit social enterprise that provides mentorship programs to school children and youth from lower-income backgrounds.
The partnership makes DHL Global Forwarding the first national partner in Kenya for My Dream Now, and is expected to benefit more than 700 students by end 2019.
As part of the partnership, employees from DHL will spend time in primary and secondary schools, to facilitate as a type of mentors, called class coaches, to school children and youth. Launched earlier this month with three employees visiting Cheleta Primary School in Nairobi, the program is expected to involve more employees, who will also be trained as volunteer class coaches, before going into schools three to four times a year for two-hour coaching sessions.
Pramod Bagalwadi, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Eastern Africa said, “In a country where half of its children are born into abject poverty,1 we hold strong to our belief that education and connection to global opportunities play a direct and crucial role in improving young lives. Receiving guidance from positive role models can go a long way in increasing a student’s confidence and in spurring them in the right direction. DHL’s partnership is part of a long-term commitment that we believe will inspire the young to pursue their dreams and contribute to the socio-economic progress of all.”
Founded in 2011 by Jonas Bygdeson, My Dream Now’s unique DreamMap technique2 helps students visualize their ambitions and set goals for themselves with the help of professional volunteers. As part of the new partnership’s initial stages, 15 Kenyan students will also visit DHL Global Forwarding’s office in Nairobi for study tours, allowing them to explore their interests and get to know different career types available to them in the near future. Both organizations have already begun to plan for 2019, including visits to New Dawn Educational Center located in Mji Wa Huruma Village, one of Nairobi’s poorest slums.
“We are delighted to begin our work in Kenya with DHL Global Forwarding as our first national partner,” said Jonas Bygdeson, founder of My Dream Now. “DHL is an exemplary company with outstanding employees who believe in empowering the next generation, and its operations worldwide provide invaluable exposure for these students to dream bigger and achieve more for themselves. I’m looking forward to working with DHL to empower and change the lives of Kenya’s youth in a way that both respects their full potential and helps them overcome whatever socio-economic hurdles they may face.”
The new agreement marks the latest milestone in DHL’s corporate social responsibility efforts, which already include longstanding partnerships with global Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as SOS Children’s Villages and Teach for All that focus on improving at-risk children’s welfare through education, mentorship, and vocational opportunities.