Freight Forwarding and Logistics Group Gives Tangible Support to Medical Charity

AUSTRIA – For Lauterach based freight forwarding and logistics specialist Gebrüder Weiss (GW) it seems charity really does begin at home as the agency expands its support for the Austrian section of the medical emergency aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). GW has opted to award the charity an annual stipend of €20,000 for the next three years to aid MSF in its assistance worldwide when natural disasters, armed conflicts and epidemics spread misery amongst a local populace and often lead to refugee camps requiring the urgent installation of medical facilities.

GW has a company code of conduct and aspires to operate both economically and environmentally and to not only be aware of their social responsibility, but also to practice it actively. This has led to the group not just supporting MSF, but taking a lead in other social projects including charity collections, aid transport and sponsorship for children from the Chernobyl region, whilst also getting involved in providing support in emergency situations such as flood disasters.

This policy has led the company to also support numerous social projects that are separate from centrally managed aid projects and partnerships. For example, the Salzburg branch is in partnership with Kinderschutzzentrum Salzburg, supporting emergency aid for children and young people suffering abuse. As a partner of the children's hospice ‘Plamienok’ the Slovakian branch helps sick children who have suffered personal loss in their families. Wolfgang Niessner, CEO Gebrüder Weiss observed:

These and other local initiatives are essential elements of our Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy. As a global company we bear a great social responsibility. By promoting Médecins Sans Frontières we are contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of people in crisis areas."

Photo: Médecins Sans Frontières provides emergency medical assistance worldwide affected by natural disasters, armed conflicts, epidemics and in refugee camps. (Source: Matthias Steinbach)