Humanitarian aid for two decades: ZF employees support those in need worldwide

It all began with one of the most dramatic natural disasters that has ever shaken the global community: On Boxing Day 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a series of tsunamis that killed around 230,000 people and left 1.7 million inhabitants of the affected regions homeless. ZF employees responded with an overwhelming willingness to help and donated a total of around 450,000 euros. The company increased this donation to one million euros at the time. In April 2005, ZF founded the non-profit organization “ZF hilft” in order to better manage this enormous sum and to provide it to suitable aid organizations. “We have achieved a lot over the past almost two decades. A total of around 150 aid projects have offered people in crisis regions all over the world a substantial perspective again,” says Dr. Lea Corzilius, Chairwoman of the association and ZF Board Member for Human Resources. ”The association gives us the opportunity to combine this social commitment of our employees and the company even in economically difficult times.” Works Council Chairman Achim Dietrich, second Chairman of “ZF hilft”, emphasizes: “The many successful aid projects and the great willingness to donate show how much our colleagues care about humanitarian issues. One advantage of ‘ZF hilft e.V.’ is that these donations go directly to those in need.”

Helping people to help themselves

In many of the projects, the focus is on helping people to help themselves and the sustainability of the support. The association therefore promotes measures that bring long-term improvements for the population. “ZF hilft” also attaches great importance to the fact that those in need of help make their own contribution to improving their living conditions. An advisory board with equal representation decides which projects ultimately receive donations. Both ZF management and the chairmen of the works councils of the major locations in Germany are represented on this board. For many years, “ZF hilft” has been working in partnership with international aid organizations to implement the projects on site.

The focus is not only on worldwide crisis areas such as the Caribbean island of Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, but also on those countries in which ZF is represented with locations. In 2009, for example, the donations were used to finance small loans for people in need in the Indian region of Chhattisgarh. “ZF hilft” was also active in Brazil. The program included support for a poor district in Fortaleza, Brazil. Among other things, the donations financed the construction of a new community center and vocational training courses for young people.

Anniversary project “100 years – 100 schools”

“ZF hilft” initiated the largest fundraising campaign in the association's history to date on the occasion of the ZF Group's centenary in 2015. Under the title “100 years – 100 schools,” the association launched the construction and expansion of one hundred educational institutions in poverty-stricken regions around the globe. Around €2.5 million was invested in this project alone, which is made up of three pillars: Firstly, “ZF hilft” planned the construction of 30 new schools in the slums of Bangladesh, India and Sierra Leone in collaboration with the “YOU Foundation – Education for Children in Need”. Together, the long-standing partner organizations also organized training courses for young teachers and improved teaching materials for 70 different educational institutions in China, Mexico, Nepal, Peru and the Philippines. In a third sub-project, “ZF hilft” cooperated with the international aid organization “World Bicycle Relief” to provide bicycles to schoolchildren in 100 communities in Zambia and South Africa. The focus here was on improving mobility, as two-hour walks to school are not uncommon, especially in remote villages. The campaign far exceeded its original target: Instead of the originally planned 30, a total of 85 schools were newly built or modernized. More than 17,000 children at existing schools have benefited from better educational conditions, and over 4,000 pupils have received new bicycles.

Humanitarian aid for flood victims

More than 1.5 million euros in donations and a ZF company contribution of half a million euros were raised for the victims of the flood of the century in the Ahr valley. The ZF plant in Ahrweiler was also flooded and severely devastated. Following immediate aid for ZF employees directly affected by the flood, various facilities in the Ahr valley were selected to support reconstruction. Nine daycare centers, a play mobile for children, which creates opportunities to play and linger, a youth hostel and a hospice association were selected.

About the current donation campaign

Crises resulting from climate change are increasing worldwide. The current fundraising campaign, which was recently launched, is therefore also focusing on a flood disaster. This time, the focus is on the floods in Slovenia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain and Brazil in recent months. The money collected will be used to provide relief supplies – such as forklift trucks, mattresses, refrigerators and repair kits. Local partner organizations ensure that the aid reaches exactly where it is most urgently needed – the people in need on site.