10 Years of Cargo Human Care e.V.

CHC was founded in May 2007 by Lufthansa Cargo staff members and doctors from Germany / Unbureaucratic and on-going help for people in need in Kenya.

Cargo Human Care (CHC) was founded 10 years ago by employees of Lufthansa Cargo and doctors in Germany with the aim of providing unbureaucratic and ongoing help for the poorest parts of the population in Kenya. Medical care and education are the pillars of its commitment. Today the organisation runs a children’s home for 120 orphans, a medical centre where 50 German doctors work on a regular basis, and a young people’s home that offers vocational training for school-leavers of the children’s home. Lufthansa Cargo has supported this project right from the start and provides flight tickets for doctors and free transport capacities for medical equipment among other things.

“When we founded CHC ten years ago, I never, for the life of me, would have thought that we would achieve so much one day: 560 members, 220 children and young people in our sponsor programme, 2,000 treatments every month in our own medical centre, and donations that are increasing every year,” says founding member and first chairman Fokko Doyen. Doyen flies the MD-11F as a Lufthansa Cargo captain and served as head of the MD-11F fleet for nine years. “The identification with this ‘Cargo project’ can be felt throughout the company. Since we started out, the number of members has grown to over 550. We do not just have passive, paying members, but above all many people who participate in our work as doctors, custodians of various sponsorship groups and in the association’s organisational work. But our greatest boon is the huge support we get from Lufthansa Cargo: The fact that it pays for the flight costs of our doctors and active members to Nairobi enables people in Kenya to benefit directly from the donations.” Only 0.6 per cent of all Cargo Human Care’s expenditure goes to cover administration costs.

“It is really impressive how the commitment of the past ten years by the numerous volunteers, who are mostly employees of Lufthansa Cargo, has made Cargo Human Care into what it is today,” praises Peter Gerber, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. “For me, the special thing about Cargo Human Care is the very direct aid. Here people from our company have wanted to do something and they have done it. Additionally, it is fantastic that Cargo’s key competencies, namely flying and logistics, can be completely put to good use here to help people who do not have such good opportunities in life. That’s why Lufthansa Cargo will continue to support the work of Cargo Human Care to the best of its abilities.” Since November 2015 Lufthansa Cargo’s MD-11F registered "D-ALCH" is flying around the world with the footprints of 24 children on its fuselage. The carrier has turned the freighter into a flying ambassador for the aid organisation Cargo Human Care.

CHC’s commitment at a glance

CHC’s hitherto over 200 sponsorships are one of the most important pillars of its development work. Through their regular donations the sponsors enable solid, reliable school and career training and medical care for the children, teenagers and young people in CHC’s environment. In 2016, the sponsors gave a total of €108,000. Over the past ten years their donations totalled €3.5m. This ensures educational institutions with good quality standards, extracurricular assistance and support by social workers, as well as medical care for those with chronic illnesses.

The Mothers’ Mercy Home (MMH) is a children’s home for orphans in the north of Nairobi. It was founded in 2001 by women of the Anglican Church, and CHC added a new building in 2008. There Cargo Human Care provides a home for 120 orphans with the help of donations and sponsorships.

During their career training, up to 24 young people live in the John Kaheni Residence community, named after an MMH orphan who passed away. All CHC career training activities outside the MMH are coordinated there by CHC social workers and external trainers. The development of personal skills, communication coaching, career orientation and interview training, coordination of internships and IT knowledge are important elements.

The Cargo Human Care Medical Centre was opened in 2009 to provide a medical care service to people in need in the vicinity of the orphanage. In addition to treatment rooms, it has a laboratory and pharmacy. 50 Specialist doctors from Germany regularly volunteer their services at the clinic for approximately one week at a time supporting a local team of twelve people. In 2016, they helped around 7,000 destitute patients by providing over 25,000 treatments.

CHC also continues to help around 6,000 people in four villages of the Marsabit region in the north of Kenya by raising funds and providing aid in the fight against hunger.