When disaster hits, timely relief aid is crucial.  This is why the charity Advance Aid is placing 90,000 emergency kits at strategic locations across Africa – and Maersk Line has donated 300 containers worth USD 500,000 to help store them.

Advance Aid is stockpiling emergency kits locally which can be used to service African emergencies, and the containers donated by Maersk Line will provide the organisation with much needed storage space.

“This is a fantastically generous gift on the part of Maersk,” says David Dickie, chief executive of Advance Aid. “This is a key piece in the jigsaw that we are putting together. We are aiming to build a stockpile of 90,000 emergency kits in strategically located warehouses across Africa and this gift will give us storage space for all of these kits,” he adds.

The kits consist of non-food items, such as shelters, hygiene kits, blankets etc., and are designed to house a family of 5 who have been displaced. When all the kits are fully in place in three years’ time, Advance Aid will be able to reach 450,000 people in 30 countries within 24 hours of the onset of an emergency.

Creating local employment

Besides the aid the kits would provide during  an emergency, they also provide significant employment to African companies as the contents of the kits are all manufactured locally. 

"Maersk Line is happy to support a cause that not only provides jobs for Africa, but also helps to ensure timely relief when a disaster hits. As a company with a large market presence in Africa, Maersk Line is strongly committed to future development of the African continent," says Søren Toft, VP Maersk Line Operations.

Win-win setup for all

"Africa is a continent of the future, both in terms of  production and market,” says Helene Regnell, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Sustainability, Maersk Line, ”Advance Aid’s activities will create jobs in Africa, which will support a general positive development. Furthermore, the relief kits they produce will help restore society more quickly after a disaster. This is a win win set-up for all involved, including us and our customers.” 

Within the next few weeks, the first containers will arrive in Mombasa, Kenya, to reach the first of three regions: East Africa (Nairobi/Mombasa/Kampala), Southern Africa (Durban/Jo’berg/Maputo) and West Africa (Accra).