This article regarding FedEx's support of the One Shot Hunt Club South Africa was originally published in Federal Express's worldwide employee magazine GSP News September, 2003
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This article regarding FedEx's support of the One Shot Hunt Club South Africa was originally published in Federal Express's worldwide employee magazine GSP News September, 2003 |
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FedEx Steps In The Republic of South Africa has been a favorite destination of American sportsman for many years. Its great variety of hunting opportunities, beautiful scenery, great food, outstanding accommodations and function as a entry point for travel to other parts of southern Africa have brought many sportsman back for return visits. The civil unrest in some of the other countries of southern Africa has only increased the attractiveness of the Republic of South Africa as a destination for those wishing to vacation or hunt in Africa. RSA’s decade old peaceful transition from minority to majority rule is surely the success story of southern Africa. Two years ago, a group of American hunters and a South African professional hunter began an organization called the One Shot Hunt Club South Africa which had the objective of sponsoring an annual sporting event in RSA called the One Shot Hunt. This event was designed as a primarily social event which would attract hunters and others to attend as part of their African vacations. Following the successful staging of the first One Shot event in May of 2001, several officers of the club had the occasion to visit a few grade schools in the Kimberly area. The needs of the school children and the shortage of resources available for them were dramatically obvious. Even though it was South Africa’s winter, many of the school children were without shoes and many came to school hungry because their families couldn’t afford to provide them with breakfast. Believing that they would like to return something to the country which had provided them with so many hunting opportunities over the years, the club’s members began a program to collect tennis shoes and funds for corn meal which could be distributed to needy South African school children during the next year’s event. This initial program was so successful that during the May, 2002 event the club was able to distribute 2,000 pairs of tennis shoes and 11,000 pounds of corn meal to several schools near Kimberly. Conversations with school and government officials during the 2002 event indicated that most of the school systems had very limited resources available for the purchase of computers, text books and school supplies. There were very few working computers available for teaching, text books were usually shared among several students and students didn’t have enough money themselves to purchase such basic school supplies as pencils and paper. The virtual non-existence of computers available for teaching students was seen as a major impediment for the schools. Developing the students’ ability to understand and to use computers was believed to be critical for them to succeed in the modern, industrial society which South Africa is endeavoring to create. The frustration felt by both the teachers and school officials for the lack of teaching computers was very evident. Identification of the seriousness of these needs resulted in the club substantially increasing its programs to support the schools during the next year. Providing support for needy South African school children was adopted as the primary mission of the club. A Benefactor Program was created to allow club members, organizations and others with a means to donate money for the purchase of corn meal. Efforts were initiated to encourage the donations of computers and school supplies which could be given to the school systems. Legal work was begun to register the club as a non-profit corporation within South Africa. The club’s efforts to obtain donations of computers and school supplies came to fruition shortly before its May 2003 event. A number of organizations in the Pittsburgh area provided very generous donations of computers, software, text books and school supplies. With the donations a reality, the problem became “How to transport these items to South Africa?” The total weight of the items which were needed to be transported to Johannesburg was 20,000 pounds and they were packed on 20 full pallets. The tennis shoes which the club’s members had brought to South Africa the previous year had been hand carried in duffle bags as excess luggage. Something much different was needed if the club was going to be able to get this 20,000 pounds of donated items to the schools. One of the club’s officers approached Federal Express’s representative for his company with the situation in the hope that FedEx might be able to help get the donated items to South Africa at a cost which the club could afford. FedEx’s management’s response to the officer’s request surprised everyone by its generosity. Not only could FedEx help the club to ship the donated items to South Africa, but it would ship the items at FedEx’s own expense. With FedEx’s critical commitment of support received, the computers were operationally checked out and individually packaged for shipment. The entire shipment of donated items was delivered to FedEx at the Pittsburgh airport and then air freighted to Johannesburg. FedEx’s support for this program continued in Johannesburg where its employees worked with officers of the club and the South African government to help prepare the required import documents for the shipment and to secure its exemption from import duties. Once cleared by South African customs for duty free importation, the shipment was delivered by FedEx to the club’s representative in Gauteng with the members of the club assuming responsibility for final distribution to the schools. Partial distribution of the corn meal, tennis shoes and school supplies was conducted during ceremonies held at two schools near Kimberly. Detailed plans are being developed by members of the club in conjunction with the Educational Ministry of the Free State to maximize the utilization of the computers, text books and remaining school supplies within the school system. Adrian Isemonger, FedEx’s business development manager for Sub-Sahara Africa, participated in the school distribution ceremonies which were held on May 28th. These ceremonies were attended not only by several thousand school children but also by school and local government officials and the Premier of the Free State Province. The appreciation expressed by the school children for receiving such simple items as corn meal, crayons, coloring books and something to wear on their bare feet would be unimaginable to most children living in America or Europe. Adrian Isemonger noted after the ceremonies; “If the FedEx employees who contributed their efforts to this program could have seen the looks on these children’s faces, they would have know that their efforts were worthwhile. We should all feel good about contributing to the future of these children and to the future of South Africa.” One Shot Hunt Club’s president, Hector Kitscha, expressed the club’s gratitude for FedEx’s support in this effort by saying “FedEx stepped in at a time when we were out of options. Without FedEx’s support, we simply could not have gotten the donated items to Johannesburg this year.”
¨ Total estimated value of the goods shipped is $33,500. The laptop computers were used and are estimated at $400 value each. New the computers sell for about $3,000 in the U.S. and nearly twice that in RSA. ¨ The shipment totaled 20,000 pounds. The estimated normal cost to air freight 20,000 pounds from Pittsburgh to Johannesburg is $22,275. |