Lufthansa and “Cargo Human Care”

We have often reported on the efforts of Airlink, the humanitarian response organization that links pre-qualified nonprofits with airlines (see the most recent report here). But Airlink is not the only aviation-related organization to be involved in humanitarian work, and today we tip our hats to Lufthansa Cargo, for its creation, and continued support of, Cargo Human Care, which offers medical care to the poor in Nairobi, Kenya.

Cargo Human Care set a new medical care record last year: local nurses and German doctors treated patients around 22,500 times for the humanitarian and medical aid project in 2014. Around 6,500 patients received treatment from German medical volunteers in six disciplines at the Cargo Human Care Medical Center in Nairobi. Lufthansa Cargo supported their work both financially and logistically. Staff members of the cargo airline had founded Cargo Human Care e.V. in 2007.

Commenting on the program,Captain Fokko Doyen, Lufthansa Cargo fleet MD-11F commander and chairman of Cargo Human Care e.V., said “With our free medical aid we ensure that the poorest of the population have access to medical care in the region around Nairobi. Last year, Cargo Human Care was able to extend the range of its treatments once again – also thanks to generous donations.” The new initiatives in 2014 were the introduction of cancer screening for women, the availability of plastic surgery by German surgeons, and the establishment of an eye clinic for treatment of cataracts.

In addition to medical treatment, the second major project of Cargo Human Care e.V. is the Mothers’ Mercy Home in Nairobi, which offers more than 115 orphans a home and a future. Further, with the help of a donation campaign by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,  Cargo Care Human plans to build a new youth center. “‘The John Kaheni Residence’ will be a residential education center,” explained Captain Doyen. “It will bridge the gap between the school-leaving qualifications the girls and boys obtain under the patronage of Cargo Human Care at the Mothers’ Mercy Home and their difficult entry into working life. Thanks to the Germany-wide donation campaign, the project will be built on a solid financial foundation.”