FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), supports the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety, which represents more than 220 NGOs across the world, to bring the first Alliance Advocates training program to New Delhi.
During this training, 21 grassroots NGO leaders from eight countries around Asia, including representatives from seven states of India, will undertake an innovative safe school zone project that has the potential to save children’s lives.
Unsafe road conditions around many schools in Asia are putting children in danger. The participants, known as Alliance Advocates, will use a data-driven approach to identify simple, low-cost changes to roads around a school in New Delhi. If implemented, the changes will bring these roads in line with the minimum standard recommended by the international road safety community.
Using the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP)’s Star Rating for Schools methodology, participants will collect road data, identify actions that would radically improve the safety of students, and create an advocacy plan to present to decision makers, including representatives from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), local traffic police, and the World Health Organization (WHO). This initial project will provide India’s Alliance Advocates with first-hand experience of presenting a case to road policy and infrastructure leaders and representatives in India.
Matthew Davies, managing director Sales for FedEx Express in India, said, “With
over 85,000 motorized vehicles operated by FedEx Express across the globe, we are clear in our commitment to raise awareness about road safety beyond our team members to the communities where we live and work, and we are proud to support the initiatives of the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety.”
Speaking about the work being done by the Alliance, Ms. Lotte Brondum, executive director, said, “Children in some parts of Asia are in danger every day on the way to school and back. The Alliance Advocates that we are training in India will take back realistic and effective action plans, so that children don’t have to risk their lives to get an education. We encourage governments to allow them to share their new knowledge and to work together with them to make schools across Asia safer. FedEx’s generous commitment and support has made the Alliance Empowerment Program possible, and is equipping NGOs to save lives around the world.”
The Alliance Advocates for Road Safety in India will join a growing movement of NGOs who are championing a low-cost, evidence-based approach to road safety. Since the program’s inception in 2015, 49 Alliance Advocates have been trained across the globe. As a result of the training, seat belt legislation in Tunisia has been reintroduced leading to a 35% reduction in road deaths in the first month, multi-sectorial partnerships have been established, and an Alliance Advocate in Slovenia has been awarded the European Commission Road Safety Excellence Award for the campaign based on his action plan from the training.
The safe school element of the training was introduced in March 2018 and so far 17 schools in 12 countries across Africa have been assessed and Alliance Advocates are pushing for decision makers for the recommendations to be implemented. In 2017, the Alliance Empowerment Program was awarded the prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.
Support for these road safety projects is part of the FedEx Cares initiative, where FedEx will invest $200 million in more than 200 communities by 2020 to create opportunities and deliver positive change around the world. Through the FedEx Cares activities, FedEx team members from around the world volunteer their time and talents to support local communities.
Source :
