TPG assists WFP with emergency airlift of relief supplies to Chad
In the first privately funded and operated airlift in the history of the
United Nations World Food Programme, TPG/TNT Airways this weekend
transported urgently needed WFP humanitarian supplies destined for Eastern
Chad where thousands of Sudanese refugees are sheltering.
TNT Airways made available one of its largest aircraft – an Airbus 300 – to fly
from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Brindisi, Italy, to N’djamena, the
capital of Chad, carrying a total of 33 metric tons of urgently-needed goods.
The shipment of two Toyota Land Cruisers, 4 mobile storage tents, as well as
other office and warehouse equipment, will kick-start WFP’s emergency
response in Chad which is coping with an increasing influx of refugees from
neighbouring Sudan. The supplies will quickly be transported to WFP’s main
logistics base in Abeche, in the eastern part of the country, which is in close
proximity to some 50,000 refugees WFP has been feeding since September.
In setting up an emergency operation in Chad, WFP faces numerous hurdles
and high costs due to the lack of existing infrastructure, poor or virtually non-
existent supply routes, rising fuel prices and fuel supply problems.
“WFP greatly appreciates the assistance TPG – our first long-term corporate
partner — is giving us in bolstering our operations in Chad,” said WFP’s
Executive Director James T. Morris. “By using their expertise and providing
this critical humanitarian airlift, TPG/TNT Airways is helping to expedite and to
offset the huge costs we face in responding to the growing needs of refugees
in the country.”
By transporting the goods over the weekend when demands for commercial
activities are at their lowest, TPG was able to assist WFP’s emergency
response activities in a very cost effective and flexible manner.
“This airlift is part of TPG’s global commitment to leverage our core
competences to help WFP tackle the issue of global hunger,” said TPG’s
CEO Peter Bakker. “This airlift is an example of how private sector companies
can use their skills and expertise to the benefit of the 800 million hungry
people around the world.”
Over the last year, fighting in Darfur, Western Sudan, between the Government
of Sudan and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), as well as
ethnic/tribal clashes, have forced an estimated 600,000 people to flee their
homes both within Sudan and across the border into Chad. A recent
assessment to south Darfur found that 46 of the total 62 villages had been
completely burned, while the remaining 16 had been looted.
In December 2002, Mail, Express and Logistics company TPG N.V.
committed itself to partnering with WFP in its fight against world hunger for at
least five years. As the biggest corporate sponsor of WFP, the world’s largest
humanitarian aid agency, TPG is making available its highly qualified staff,
skills, systems and assets. With similar expertise in both transportation and
logistics, WFP and TPG share the common values of speed, reliability and
efficiency, as well as a ‘results-based’ culture.
“International aid agencies, both large and small, share the goal of maximising
the assistance they are able to provide their beneficiaries and TPG is helping
WFP revolutionise the way we reach that goal,” said Morris.
