Agility, a leading global logistics provider, has donated the transportation of nine tons of medical materials from China to Uganda for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo.

The donation, through One Million Kilos, Chapter 1 of Qatar Airways Cargo’s sustainability program “WeQare” included more than 50,000 surgical kits to be used at hospitals and medical centers in Kampala, Uganda. In China, Agility’s teams received, inspected and packaged the materials for export. The cargo was flown to Kampala, Uganda, by Qatar Airways Cargo; upon arrival, Agility facilitated customs clearance and delivered the goods to UNHCR.

Michael Blaufuss, Agility SVP of Air Freight, said: “This project demonstrates the value that Agility brings to its customers and charity partners. Our teams were able to work quickly with UNHCR and its vendors to export the medical gowns during the holiday period, and get them to in Kampala. The donation of space by Qatar Airways Cargo was critical in getting the supplies to the destination quickly.”

‘1 Million Kilos’ is the first chapter of WeQare, where charities were able to use the services of Qatar Airways Cargo through freight forwarders and transport humanitarian aid and medical supplies all over the world, free of charge.

Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how essential air freight is in the time of crisis.  Through WeQare’s One Million Kilos campaign, we are pleased to support Agility and UNHCR in transporting essential supplies to places where they are needed the most. “

Nader El Nakib, Head of Private Sector Partnership; Kuwait, said “This donation will be used by UNHCR’s medical teams to help displaced persons receive improved medical care, while protecting UNHCR’s frontline health workers. We are especially grateful that Agility and Qatar Airways were able to provide these international air cargo services during the global pandemic. This donation means UNHCR can redirect funding to support other beneficiaries in need of assistance.”

Agility has a globally recognized sustainability program, covering humanitarian logistics, community volunteerism, fair labor and environmental sustainability. Agility is part of the FTSE4Good Index Series, a resource used by investors to identify companies around the world with strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. Agility is also ranked in the top 10% of all companies and the top 4% of the logistics industry for overall sustainability performance by EcoVadis. Since 2006, Agility has responded to 75+ humanitarian crises since 2006 across the world.

When COVID-19 brought the world to a halt, Agility donated services to keep essential cargo moving.

Following the Port of Beirut explosion on August 4, 2020, Agility provided support to a number of humanitarian partners.

Agility and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced a partnership that will strengthen the delivery of essential services to refugees in Malaysia, establishing pilot programs in Johor and Penang to bring critically needed services to more than 12,000 refugees. The services include refugee card renewal, access to essential information related to protection, and to receive counseling on available services. The pilot program will help extend support to more than 12,000 refugees, most of them Rohingyas from Myanmar. With local engagement and support, Agility and UNHCR will eliminate the need for vulnerable refugees to travel 300+ kilometers from their homes to Kuala Lumpur to have access to vital services, including refugee card renewal.

Responding to the Taal Volcano eruption in January 2020, Agility worked closely with the Philippines Red Cross to provide relief goods to nearly 24,000 evacuees in the City of Batangas. Two 6-wheeler trucks were deployed for two weeks, distributing relief items to numerous evacuation centers across Batangas City.

Agility Bangladesh volunteers participated in a Customs Workshop organized by the UN Logistics Cluster in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This training helps humanitarians to reduce the time that humanitarian cargo is in transit, which reduces inventory requirements and operating costs, while increasing the amount of aid materials available to beneficiaries. The Agility Bangladesh team also supported the Logistics Cluster by helping them to prepare a Logistics Capacity Assessment (LCA) for the country, and by working with local government, private sector and NGO stakeholders in a country-wide preparedness project to help the country prepare for future humanitarian emergencies.

For the second year in a row, Agility provided humanitarian fleet operations training to 25 representatives from 13 different humanitarian partners in Beirut, Lebanon. This training helps humanitarian partners better manage transportation fleets so more humanitarian cargo can be safely and more efficiently delivered to people in need. It also helps humanitarians reduce their operating costs and deliver more assistance when people most need it.

Agility and its portfolio company, United Projects for Aviation Services Company (UPAC), have teamed up to run a charitable meal program during Ramadan. In coordination with the Kuwait Food Bank, 17 volunteers from Agility and UPAC donated their time to help feed more than 20,000 individuals through a daily Iftar meal program and a Machla donation box distribution.