SAP Feeding Knowledge

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the UN logistics lifeline. It saves lives through fast, efficient and effective emergency response. At any given time, WFP has 30 ships at sea, 60 aircraft in the sky and 5000 trucks on the ground.

Managing these logistics can be daunting — the areas which need food and aid most can lack even rudimentary communications and transportation. The WFP’s continuous efforts to improve its efficiency fit in well with SAP’s mission to help companies be able to adapt quickly and flexibly to succeed and to grow. Since 2000 SAP has helped the WFP manage its logistics so that it can allocate its resources better and always be aware of where food is and when it will get to where it’s going.

The donation that SAP is making to the World Food Programme on behalf of its employee volunteers will be directed to WFP school feeding programmes. School feeding programmes were chosen because SAP, in the business of human knowledge development, believes that these programmes can have a huge impact on a child’s life and his or her willingness and ability to learn.

School feeding is a magnet to bring children to school and keep them there. It’s difficult for hungry children to learn on an empty stomach. WFP programmes provide children with a meal when they first arrive at school, a meal at lunch time, as well as take-home rations.

In WFP assisted schools, absolute enrollment increased by 28% for girls and by 22% for boys in the first year of assistance. In addition to increasing the desirability of and access to education, school feeding can combat child labour (food provided at school is an incentive for families to send children to school instead of keeping them home to work for additional income) and boost economic growth, as educated individuals earn higher wages and have better earnings when self-employed.

It doesn’t take much to make a difference. €10 will feed a child in Ethiopia for 140 days or a child in Laos or Nicaragua for over 180 days.

If you like, you can support the WFP directly by clicking here.

This video from Laura Melo, Donor Relations Officer from the UN World Food Programme, describes WFP and what SAP is doing on its behalf.

As apart of a new global initiative, SAP is donating 10 € to the WFP for each SAP employee who is volunteering for their community. So if you are an SAP employee and you already do voluntary service please register here. If you are a corporate volunteer, you do not need to register again because SAP will automatically donate for you. This campaign will run till the end of 2007.

For further information about this campaign, please follow this link.

Von Ralf Baumgarth, Bezirksgeschaeftsfuehrer der FreiwilligenBoerse des PARITAETISCHEN Wohlfahrtsverbands, Heidelberg

“Wir waren von SAPlings begeistert!” oder “Einen solchen Tag wuerden wir gerne wiederholen” … das sind Kommentare, die wir von gemeinnuetzigen Organisationen zu hoeren bekommen, die sich an SAPlings, dem Freiwilligentag der SAP-Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter, in der Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar beteiligen.

Das ist natuerlich eine klasse Resonanz und zeigt, dass ein solcher Freiwilligentag eines Unternehmens Sinn macht. Wir, als FreiwilligenBoerse Heidelberg sind Partner von SAP und haben bei inzwischen drei SAPlings-Freiwilligentagen insgesamt rund 700 SAPlingen zu insgesamt gut sechzig interessanten Projektaufgaben bei gemeinnuetzigen Organisationen verholfen.

On October 27, 2007, the SAPlings-initiative, a part of the SAP corporate volunteering programs, took place for the third time. The initiative started in 2006 and was a great success. Since then, twice a year on Saturdays in spring and autumn, SAP employees (or their friends and family members) can truly lend a hand at improving the community where they work by getting involved in the work of non-profit organizations. For each volunteer engaged in the initiative, SAP is donating 10€ to the UN World Food Program within their global initiative.

In October last year, under the motto “SAPlings - Together for our community”, a total of 25 projects were able to benefit from the social engagement of the 290 volunteers. Especially in demand were the professional skills of some SAPlings, who helped create a Web site for the Society for Environmental Education in Baden-Württemberg. The group’s leader, Bernd Schlag, was personally inspired by the work of the SAP colleagues, admitting that he had not anticipated such a great product in such a short period. Physical efforts were also required from the SAPlings volunteers for numerous projects in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region.

After the initiative, we asked the SAP-volunteers and charitable organizations to take part in a follow up questionnaire to gather their opinions and thoughts. More than 50 % of the employees and 100% of the organizations gave us feedback and this reflects how important the SAPlings-initiative is for them. The results also demonstrated that both, the organizations as well the employees had a successful day and were able to greatly benefit from the initiative.

… because of your local voluntary engagement!

This is the donation-result of the global initiative, between SAP and the UN World Food Programme. Thanks to all SAP employees who registered and participated in volunteering projects around the world - the amount of money reflects their personal efforts!

“In 24 hours, across 24 time zones the world will be walking to end child hunger. On June 1st 2008, the UN WFP together with its corporate partners TNT and Unilever will once again take to the streets to raise funds and awareness for the 59 million children that attend primary school hungry.” (Homepage WFP)

Once again, SAP employees will take part in this initiative and Ernie Gunst, President CSO of the region Europe, Middle East and Africa, is looking forward to seeing even more SAP walkers than last year. This year’s locations are the UK (Windsor Castle), Germany (Ladenburg, Hamburg and Berlin), South Africa (Johannesburg) and Portugal (Lisbon). Ernie Gunst also called attention to the special situation of the WFP:

“This year, this valuable cause is even more pertinent. The price of staple foods like grain and rice is increasing, making it more important than ever that basic nutritional needs are met - especially in the WFP School Feeding projects we support with our donations.”

As a further demonstration of SAP’s commitment to the World Food Programme, this year, SAP will donate €10 on behalf of the first 500 SAP employees who either register to walk or make a donation online. SAP employees can register now at this link and all others can click here to make a difference with their donation.

As we’ve all seen from news coverage, the cyclone which hit Myanmar has caused immense damage and the loss of many lives. Those who have survived the initial tragedy are now in immediate need of basic necessities such as food, water and shelter. If Myanmar’s government stops preventing the international help, all these affected people will urgently require our support.

SAP Asia Pasific Japan (APJ) and the SAP Solidarity Fund e. V. are calling on SAP employees to make a contribution to help people in the affected Irrawaddy Delta. SAP APJ will donate the collected money to Myanmars Red Cross, which has been one of the first relief organizations in this isolated country.

If you are an SAP employee and will make your contribution please donate to SAP Solidarity Fund e. V. (keyword: Myanmar).

If you are not at SAP, you can donate directly to the UN WFP, Red Cross Germany or another international aid organization of your choice.

Yesterday, the 1st of June, 2008, the UN World Food Programm’s Walk the World was held for the sixth time. In Ladenburg - one of 24 locations in Germany - about 400 participants met up to walk for a school project in Gambia. Among them were some 90 SAP employees participating with their family and friends on foot, by bicycles or inline skates.

Walking the five kilometres was really fun to everybody and brought donations from all participants as well as a donation of 10€ made by SAP per participating SAP employee to the WFP.

And here are some impressions of the walk in Ladenburg:

For further pictures and impressions, please have a look on WFP.org.

Apart from Ladenburg, there were other ‘Walk the World’-locations around the world where SAP employees, including Ernie Gunst, SAP Corporate Officer and President of EMEA, once again took to the streets to raise funds and awareness for the hungry of the world. SAP TV walked with them in London ‘Windsor Park’:

Worldwide, 471 SAP employees participated on this year’s Walk the World or showed their contribution through a donation to the WFP. By adding 10 Euros from SAP for each engaged employee, the final donation-result ended up by 16.812 Euros.

Overall, around 250.000 people in 70 countries participated on the Walk the World 2008 and rose up more than $500.000 for the fight against hunger.

More than a month has passed, since natural disasters affected China and Myanmar. Despite the support of international relief organizations, the regions are still in state of emergency. So, supporting the affected is still necessary and important!!!

As mentioned in former blogposts, the SAP Solidarity Fund is also calling for donations. So if you are an SAP employee and want to make your contribution please donate to SAP Solidarity Fund e. V. If you are not at SAP, you can donate directly to the UN WFP, Red Cross Germany or another international aid organization of your choice.

The intermediate donation-results for both regions to the SAP Solidarity Fund are about 20.000 € as yet. Thanks to all which already donated!

For further information about the supporting-efforts, please watch out www.wfp.org.

Soaring food prices are affecting virtually everybody these days. However, in countries such as Somalia, the DR Congo, and Ethiopia where the World Food Programme’s help is urgently needed the effects are most devastating. When thinking about creative new ways to tackle global problems which cannot be solved easily by national governments, Web 2.0 or social media is likely to become more and more relevant.

The initiative of the SAP Developer Network and the Business Process Expert Community Recognition Program is an appealing example. Here, contributions by the members of the community - through blogs, articles, codes samples, tutorials, videos or forum posts - are turned into donations for the World Food Programme which uses the money to fund international school nutrition programs. Of course, these contributions won’t prevent global food prices from increasing. But it shows how powerful the tool of Web 2.0 can be in the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Food for A Better Life

David is 7 years old. He is attending second grade at the “Concentración Educativa El Salvador”, a small school located in El Pozón, a poor and marginal area located in Cartagena, Colombia.

David is one of Colombia´s over 3 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) which makes the displacement crisis in Colombia one of the worst in the world. Most of the IDPs live in city slums where unworthy physical and social infrastructure, lack of labor opportunities and stigmatization make it extremely difficult for them to satisfy their basic needs.

In David´s case, his neighborhood is mainly inhabited by displaced people from different regions of Colombia - people from Chocó, from Antioquia, from Bolivar and from all over the country. David knows he is displaced, but he doesn’t remember the time when he and his family came to Cartagena. He says he was too small when his parents decided to flee because of the unsafe situation in his hometown Corozal. His mother is constantly looking for a job. Sometimes she finds short shifts as a maid, but this is very unusual. Most of the time she is at home taking care of David and his brother and sister. David´s father has an informal job at Cartagena´s market. He moves bulks from one truck to another. It is a hard and low-paid work. In a good day he can make two or three dollars, but normally after a 12 hours shift he barely receives one dollar.

Despite all these hardships, David is a happy child. He enjoys going to school every day. It is a place where he can play and learn where he has a lot of friends. Best of all, he and his 110 schoolmates receive a nice meal every day, thanks to the World Food Programme’s School Feeding initiative which is supported by the SAP Developer Network and the Business Process Expert Community Recognition Program.

David knows that with education everything is possible. That’s why he and his parents are proud of the fact that he is going to classes every morning.

Education is everything

Erika is 10 years old. She attends fourth grade at the Roberto García Peña Primary School, in Girón, province of Santander, Colombia.

Erika lives with her family in a very poor household. However, she says they share a beautiful house, because her mother keeps it comfortable and clean. Her father lost an arm in an accident a long time ago, even before she was born. After that, he has constantly been struggling trying to find a job.

The family used to live in a small town up north of the province. Her father owned a small farm and they had a decent and normal life. But unfortunately, armed conflict in the region forced them to move out and then they settled in Angulito neighborhood, a marginal area in Girón.

Erika goes to the school every single morning. Similar to David, she and her sister receive a daily meal provided by WFP School Feeding Programme.

“Having the lunch at school is great, because we don’t feel we have to be begging for food”, explains Erika. For that reason, the sisters can go to classes regularly, without spending precious time earning an additional income for their family’s survival.

Erika is happy to have the opportunity of learning. “Education is everything” she says. “With education you can compete, you can improve. We have a lot of needs, and probably education is the only way out of this situation. My parents are making an extraordinary effort to keep me studying, but we are sure it is worth the investment”.

After school, in the afternoon, Erika baby-sits a small child. “It is not a proper job”, she says, “but in my family we appreciate the extra income. It is not too much, but is enough to help. When I grow up I want to be a doctor, so I can help people. My father didn’t have the chance to see a good doctor when he lost his arm, and that’s why I want to be a doctor. Doctors help, and I definitely want to help.”

Erika looks nice and neat with the school uniform. She says that it was a gift from a lady her mother knows. “Being poor is one thing, but we still have dignity”, adds Erika with a big smile. “As my mom says, poverty is a state of mind. We have needs, but we are working to fulfill those needs. That’s why I am going to school!”

To give you a first-hand impression of the World Food Programme’s School Feeding initiative and its beneficial effect for the children of internally displaced families in Colombia, this podcast is very helpful: SchoolFeedingColombia.mp3.

What becomes clear is that fighting hunger and enhancing the children´s education go hand in hand - to the long-term benefit of not only the children but of the whole country.

If you would like to learn more about the political situation in Colombia and the fate of internally displaced people (IDPs), please have a look at the documents of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as well as the Brookings Institution and the International Crisis Group.

The global rise of food prices certainly made it harder for international help agencies to tackle the problem of hunger and the far-reaching negative effects for individuals and communities affected by it.

However, the World Food Programme’s updated figures about the impact of a 10€ donation (equalling not even 15$) illustrate that even such a little amount of money has a significant impact.

The contribution of 10€…

• Feeds one school child for 63 days in Laos.
• Feeds one school child for 70 days in Colombia
• Feeds one school child for 73 days in Nicaragua.
• Feeds one school child for 77 days in Ghana.
• Feeds one school child for 92 days in Kenya.
• Could feed one school child for 112 days in Ethiopia.

If these facts encourage you to donate you are most welcome to do so!

World Food Programme warns about a change for the worse

Serious droughts are exacerbating the food situation in the Horn of Africa region which is already tense due to high food and fuel prices. As a report by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) shows, more than 10 million people are affected by a drought in southern, central, western and north-eastern Ethiopia. According to the WFP’s observation, crop production is decreasing and livestock are dying. As a consequence, rural people are forced to migrate to towns for cheap labor, or to sell firewood and charcoal.

Another consequence is widespread child malnutrition which is one of the key problems in the region that needs to be tackled. That’s why support of school feeding programs is so significant for the overall development of the affected communities.

To give you an impression of how people try to cope with hardships connected to the food shortage, the story of Daniel Gedisha, an Ethiopian farmer, is a telling example. He has to deal with successive failures of seasonal rains which have destroyed his crops. Basically, the survival of his family would be threatened if it wasn’t for outside assistance - much of it provided by the WFP.