DHL Global Forwarding, the world's leading air and ocean freight logistics company, has successfully delivered a container of children's books donated by Reader's Digest to the charity organization Room to Read in Kathmandu, Nepal.

DHL's Corporate Sustainability Program in Asia Pacific aims to assist the region?s people, their communities and environment in 3 crucial areas: Managing Disaster Response; Supporting Future Generations; and Creating Markets for Social Change. The sponsorship is in line with DHL?s initiative of Supporting Future Generations, which aims to ensure children and youths have access to quality education, healthcare and a sustainable environment. By sponsoring the delivery of the books to an area considered extremely difficult to access, DHL hopes the children who receive them benefit greatly now and later in life.

Room to Read is an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing underprivileged children with the lifelong gift of education. A winner of the 2006 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, it was founded in 1998 on the belief that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty. The donation?s destination, Nepal, is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world with 42% of the estimated population of 27 million unemployed and some 31% living below the national poverty line.

Over the past three years, Room to Read has established over 700 school libraries in Cambodia and Nepal, mainly consisting of English language children?s books, but delivering aid to the areas has not always been easy. "Very often, getting donated materials to their destination is as difficult as securing the donations themselves. Thanks to the strength of DHL?s global network, we will be able to deliver these essential educational tools to those who need them most. In the end, we want to help provide these children with better opportunities later in life. This donation should do just that," explained DHL Global Forwarding Country Manager Reto Pergher.

Mr. Pergher added: "We believe we can contribute most to the development of the communities where we operate by using our core expertise in transportation and logistics as the foundation of our social contribution. We have a mission to improve education, economic opportunities, and global understanding for children in developing countries by making books and other learning opportunities accessible."

DHL also recently delivered computers and opened a computer room at Thien Ho Duong Primary School in My Tho City, Tien Giang Province, Vietnam. In addition to financial support, the DHL team also facilitated an IT course for students and teachers in the school. The Computer Room Program aimed to provide a platform to improve students? learning through the use of computers, and to build children?s practical skills so they have the incentive to stay in school and pursue a career after graduation.