APM Terminals project organisation for Maasvlakte 2 in Rotterdam has teamed up with SOGESTER in Luanda, Angola – a joint venture terminal company with local investor Gestao de Fundos and operated by APM Terminals – to help improve the ‘8004 Boa Esperança 3’ school in Luanda and create a better learning environment for its students.
APM Terminals Rotterdam collected and shipped the furniture in cooperation with a number of other local and international organisations including container shipping line Delmas, road transport company Bontrans, lashing company International Lashing Service, forwarding company Damco and the ‘Willem of Orange’ high-school in Oud Beijerland, The Netherlands which donated the furniture for this project.
The donated furniture was delivered to the school and set up by SOGESTER employees, who have sought to play an active role in the Luanda community improving local social and economic conditions.
The initiative to support the Luanda community through partnership with SOGESTER was undertaken by Morten Johansen, Managing Director of SOGESTER and John Verschelden, Managing Director of the Maasvlakte II terminal project in Rotterdam and his wife Louise Verschelden, who worked as an elementary school teacher in The Netherlands.
In an address to the Luanda school, Mrs. Verschelden said: “We at APM Terminals and at SOGESTER are honored to be with you today and to see these results with our own eyes. Our wish for the future is that you – the teachers and children of this school – can benefit from this school equipment in its new life in Luanda. For children everywhere it is necessary to get a good education and so prepare future generations. We sincerely hope that we can deliver a modest contribution to that goal here in Angola”.
Leonora Pereira João, a 6th grade student, thanked the contributors by saying “We thank every company involved in the development of our school. A special thanks goes to the SOGESTER employees, who supported us with this school furniture”.
The Luanda Citizenship project is part of APM Terminals 2008 Citizenship Program ‘Health and Education in Africa’ and complements recent APM Terminals Citizenship projects in Douala, Cameroon and Onne, Nigeria. For more information about APM Terminals citizenship efforts download the APM Terminals Annual Citizenship Review at www.apmterminals.com
