By Our Reporter
The DHL Africa as One team, who departed from Cape Town in October 2014 in three Land Rover Discoveries, have completed almost a third of their journey, covering 15 countries in 102 days. During this period, they have crossed 40 border posts, travelled 23,000 kilometers and spent over 350 hours on the road – with the longest uninterrupted stretch of continuous driving lasting 17 hours.
As the Official Logistics Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, DHL embarked on this journey to deliver the concept of rugby to the African continent, while passing a single rugby ball from hand to hand, across 45 countries, and to ultimately deliver the ball and the beauty of Africa to Rugby World Cup 2015.
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The journey incorporates various social responsibility and DHL customer engagements along the way, and to date, DHL has hosted 1,558 adults and 1,510 children at DHL Africa As One rugby fairs, where children are taught basic rugby skills and entertained for the day. In each country, free eye tests are provided through DHL’s partnership with Mercy Ships, a global charity and so far, 1,230 eye tests have been conducted and over 845 pairs of eye glasses have been distributed.
During the course of the journey, the team will distribute over half a million units of stationery to young children, including pens, notebooks and activity books, of which, 127,000 units have already been distributed.
Charles Brewer, Managing Director of DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa, says apart from delivering the concept of rugby to Africa, a continent synonymous with the game of soccer, the tour is also about showcasing Africa to the rest of the world.
“In addition to the rugby fairs and CSR activities, we are focused on capturing the true beauty of Africa via videos, spectacular images and candid blog posts, to share and celebrate Africa and all it has to offer – to showcase a little bit of Africa that many people may not get the chance to experience first-hand.