UN Children’s Fund sets up emergency hub in Gauteng

Kevin Mayhew THE UNITED Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) established its first emergency supply facility outside of Europe in Johannesburg recently. According to the national sales and marketing manager of Röhlig Grindrod, Herman Fouche, the company secured a million dollar investment in South Africa for the new facility. The hub will facilitate the distribution of cargo to other sub-Saharan destinations which will be undertaken through PickPack-Grindrod. “Recently we were involved in Tsunami relief delivery to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives which we delivered on behalf of Unicef in record time. We are looking forward to the challenge of partnering with Unicef for its more local operations and requirements,” Fouche said. The emergency hub contains items for 100 000 people with supplies that include mosquito nets, blankets, cooking sets, tarpaulins and educational and recreational sets. Every year Unicef responds to emergencies worldwide to provide appropriate supplies for poverty alleviation.