ProCharter Awarded United Nations Contract

ProCharter Awarded United Nations Contract

ProCharter advanced this month as it secured a new multi-year contract with the United Nations Department of Operational Support.

As a provider of Aviation and logistics services in remote and austere locations, ProCharter has been contracted to provide consulting services for multimodal air, land and sea transport. ProCharter’s assistance will facilitate United Nations logistics support for critical missions around the world.

“We are delighted to have secured this long-term contract to provide hands-on consultation services for the United Nations worldwide,” said James Saldaña, ProCharter’s Communications Director.

“ProCharter has consulted on aviation and logistics operations for the United Nations effectively in the past. This award demonstrates their confidence in our ability to deliver goods and services in challenging environments around the globe.”

Saldaña added: “We look forward to building on our relationship with the United Nations Department of Operational Support over the years ahead.”

“Senior management remains committed to this next phase of our development as we look to capitalize on the exciting opportunities within our sector.”

United Nations Department of Operation Support

The Department of Operational Support (DOS) provides operational support to UN Secretariat entities globally, including advisory, operational and transactional support services and, where needed, exercises delegated authority on behalf of clients. DOS supports the entire UN Secretariat, consisting of almost 100 entities located around the globe.

DOS is build on five key pillars. It provides end-to-end service delivery and integration of operational support in:

  • Supply chain management including logistics, procurement and support for uniformed capabilities;
  • Operational planning and support to start-up, surge, draw-down and liquidation in UN Secretariat entities;
  • Human resources, health-care management and occupational safety services;
  • UNHQ administrative services and campus support; and
  • Operational information and communications technology (ICT)

NDTA Annual Fall Meeting 2023

NDTA Annual Fall Meeting 2023

ProCharter is a keen supporter and member of NDTA. We see the value of having a trusted environment where Government, Military, and Private sector professionals can solve pressing challenges in the fields of logistics, transportation and aviation.

– Steve Day, Managing Director, ProCharter

ProCharter was delighted to attend the 2023 National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) annual Fall Meeting in Orlando, FL.

The program included General Sessions with four to five keynote speakers including the Commander USTRANSCOM and two to three moderated roundtable discussions. Featuring a Transportation Academy consisting of over sixty classes organized under eight topic tracks and taught by general/flag officers and C-suite experts, in a dynamic Expo Hall & Resource Center with opportunities to network and share information. Professionals could receive Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for their certification requirements.  Lastly, there was a wide variety of meetings to include government, industry, NDTA Committees, and Young Leader Professional Development sessions.

Throughout the NDTA/USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting, Surface Warrior subject matter experts are among those presenting Transportation Academy courses, where information and training are provided about various topics and focus areas for military, government, and commercial partners. The Irregular Warfare Center also participated in this year’s conference. During the event, IWC leadership and staff set up an information booth to showcase the Center’s mission, objectives, goals as well as answer any questions and provide information about future collaboration opportunities.

Based in the USA, National Defense and Transportation Association (NDTA) serves as a trusted environment where Government, Military and Private Contractors can get together and solve pressing challenges in the fields of logistics, transportation and passenger services.

What a great opening day at the 2023 NDTA Fall Expo! The room was abuzz with conversation as attendees and exhibitors made valuable connections and strengthened relationships with key representatives from industry, military and government.

“Advancing U.S. Power Projection with Allies & Partners“

The Fall Meeting is a four-day, NDTA-USTRANSCOM co-sponsored, annual event providing government and industry the opportunity to identify and solve logistics and transportation issues together; learn about innovative technologies, develop best practices, and build professional and personal relationships.

This year’s theme, “Advancing U.S. Power Projection with Allies & Partners,” considers the global strategic competition occurring in a highly contested environment and the need to provide leadership in close coordination with allies and partners to provide the logistics and transportation capability and capacity to globally support U.S. national security interests.

Attendees bring a wide range of U.S. Government, industry, allies and academic experts together with the goal of building relationships, educating on a wide range of topics, solving logistics and transportation challenges, achieving a resilient Defense Industrial Base and building a strong U.S. national defense.

– NDTA

Mission & Goals

Since World War II, the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) has served our country’s national defense and homeland security as a trusted environment where government, military, and private sector professionals can solve pressing challenges in the fields of logistics, transportation, and passenger travel services.

NDTA is a non-political, non-profit educational organization. Our three priorities are to:

  • Maintain that “trusted environment” by facilitating strong working relationships, education, and the exchange of ideas
  • Invest in programs and capabilities that provide value to our corporate and individual members, and help develop the next generation of professionals
  • Serve the broader national security interest through a new focus on all government stakeholders in logistics, transportation, and passenger travel

We have a rich history, dating back to 1944. In that time, NDTA has established a great track record of service; including real-world disaster relief through partnerships with organizations like American Red Cross, the creation of transportation studies and white papers, the development of emergency management plans, and exercises in cooperation with the military.

NDTA Events – Official NTDA mobile event app
iOS app / Android app


SOS Children’s Villages Charity 2023

‘In May 2022, ProCharter, agreed to support SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka with sponsorship. This provided children of SOS Children’s Villages Nuwaraeliya – with nutritious meals, for one whole year.

The sponsorship provided ensured that a percentage of the total cost of meals was covered, for a total of 76 children. The children who benefitted from the sponsorship included 20 boys and 19 girls under the age of 12 years, and 5 boys and 32 girls above 12 years.

“It’s with gratitude that we here at SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka, reminisce on the partnership and the generosity of ProCharter. Here’s to your generosity that would forever be fondly remembered by our children,” said a spokesman for the charity.’

– SOS Children’s Villages

SOS Children’s Village at Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

The second SOS Children’s Village in Sri Lanka is situated on 2.5 acres of land at Bambarakelle, Nuwara Eliya (180 km from Colombo), in the central hill country of Sri Lanka. It is 6,283 feet above sea level, with the coldest climate in the country.

SOS Children’s Village Nuwara Eliya was inaugurated in April 1984. In 1983, the country faced a difficult situation, when an armed group unleashed hostility between the two main communities – Sinhalese and Tamil. SOS Children’s Villages were able to bring children of these two communities together as one family – hence it was a timely project.

At SOS Children’s Village Nuwara Eliya a total of ten families, six Sinhala and four Tamil were established. We were able to build a strong and united SOS Family, while the same two communities unleashed war in the country.

Throughout the long years of the Sri Lanka civil war that the country was unfortunate to go through, SOS Family Nuwara Eliya, was setting an example as to how the two communities could live as one with understanding and peace.

Five mothers who were the first group of mothers are now retired from active service as SOS Mothers and are living in the Mothers’ Retirement Home. SOS Kindergarten, SOS Youth Facilities for Boys and Girls, FSP Programmes and Mothers’ Retirement Home are the other ancillary projects in Nuwara Eliya.

SOS Children’s Villages

The first SOS Children’s Village was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Tyrol, Austria, in 1949. As a child welfare worker, Gmeiner saw how children who were orphaned as a result of World War II suffered. He was committed to helping them by building loving families and supportive communities.

Born to a big family of farmers in Vorarlberg (present-day Austria), Gmeiner was a talented child and won a scholarship to attend grammar school. His mother died while he was still a young boy, and his eldest sister Elsa took on the task of caring for the smallest of the children.

Having experienced the horrors of war himself as a soldier in World War II, he was then confronted with the isolation and suffering of the many war orphans and homeless children as a child welfare worker after the end of the Second World War. In his conviction that help can never be effective as long as the children have to grow up without a home of their own, he set about implementing his idea for SOS Children’s Villages.

With just 600 Austrian schillings (approx. 40 US dollars) in his pocket Hermann Gmeiner established the SOS Children’s Village Association in 1949, and in the same year the foundation stone was laid for the first SOS Children’s Village in Imst, in the Austrian state of Tyrol. His work with the children and development of the SOS Children’s Village organization kept Hermann Gmeiner so busy that he finally decided to discontinue his medical degree course.

In the following decades his life was inseparably linked with his commitment to a family-centred child-care concept based on the four pillars of a mother, a house, brothers and sisters, and a village. Given his exclusive focus on the need to help abandoned children, the rest of his biography reads like the history of SOS Children’s Villages themselves. He served as Village Director in Imst, organized the construction of further SOS Children’s Villages in Austria, and helped to set up SOS Children’s Villages in many other countries of Europe.

In 1960 SOS-Kinderdorf International was established in Strasbourg as the umbrella organization for SOS Children’s Villages with Hermann Gmeiner as the first president. In the following years the activities of SOS Children’s Villages spread beyond Europe. The sensational “grain of rice” campaign raised enough funds to permit the first non-European SOS Children’s Village to be built in Daegu, Korea in 1963, and SOS Children’s Villages on the American and African continents followed.

By 1985 the result of Hermann Gmeiner’s work was a total of 233 SOS Children’s Villages in 85 countries. In recognition of his services to orphaned and abandoned children he received numerous awards and was nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, he was always at pains to stress that it was only thanks to the support of millions of people that it had been possible to achieve the goal of providing abandoned children with a permanent home, and that still applies today. Hermann Gmeiner died in Innsbruck in 1986. He is buried at SOS Children’s Village Imst.

‘All the children of the world are our children.’

– Hermann Gmeiner, Founder

SOS Children’s Villages is currently active in 132 countries and territories. 438 SOS Children’s Villages and 346 SOS Youth Facilities provide more than 60,000 children and youths in need with a new home. More than 131,000 children/youths attend SOS Kindergartens, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools and SOS Vocational Training Centres. Around 397,000 people benefit from the services provided by SOS Medical Centres, 115,000 people from services provided by SOS Social Centres. SOS Children’s Villages also helps in situations of crisis and disaster through emergency relief programmes. – Wikipedia

Visit SOS Children’s Villages
Donate to SOS Children’s Villages

Photos © SOS Children’s Villages

Lockheed L-100-30 (C-130) for Air Charter

Photo: Airman 1st Class Delano Scott [edited] [©], via Wikimedia

2x
Lockheed L-100-30 (C-130) for Air Charter
Check Availability

Service: Air Charter

Aircraft: Lockheed L-100-30 (C-130) Hercules

Aircraft Type: Cargo Freighter

Quantity: Two (2)

Available: Immediate Availability

Route: USA to Worldwide (may require repositioning)

Specifications: Available for domestic or international requests

  • Payload

    21,772 kgs / 48,000 lbs (volume up to 171.52 cbm / 6057 cbf)

  • Hold Size (L x W x H)

    1,690 x 304 x 274 cm / 664 x 120 x 108 in

  • Door Size

    304 x 274 cm / 120 x 108 in

  • Cruise Speed

    583 kph / 362 mph

Best Use:

Although austere operations and moving oversized cargo are the aircraft’s basic mission set, firefighting, airdrop delivery, humanitarian and disaster relief, search and rescue, mining and oilfield support and exploration, airspray and oil dispersion, medevac, and personnel transport are just some of the jobs this aircraft can do. 

Features:

The unique capabilities of these Hercules cargo planes allow them to fly as low as 100 feet and land in remote areas without runways or roads. Their sophisticated avionics systems allow them to communicate and operate safely in the most challenging conditions with no power or infrastructure. These aircraft can support payloads up to 48,000 pounds of palletized or break-bulk freight, allowing for the transportation of connex boxes and drive-on, drive-off loading for vehicles, and equipment.

EPA-certified waste transporter, capable of carrying all types of hazardous loads including contaminated soils, fuel, oily waste, and other dangerous cargo to assist in many emergencies and natural disasters. They are the first and logical choice for disaster relief and emergency response.

  • 48,000 pound payload with up to 6,057 cubic feet of cargo volume
  • Accommodates standard 88″ x 108″ pallets or containers, plus belly compartments and a ramp container; mixes of 10, 20, 30 and 40-foot long 8-foot x 8-foot cross-section intermodal containers up to 54 feet long
  • Oversized shipments up to 54 feet long, 10 feet wide and 9 feet high
  • Straight-in loading through rear cargo ramp door
  • Truck-bed height loading; ramp is adjustable to any position
  • Drive-on, drive-off loading for vehicles and heavy equipment (rolling stock)
  • Capable of transporting Connex boxes
  • Self-contained auxiliary power; minimum ground support required for aircraft systems, offloading, and onloading
  • Self-contained winch for loading/unloading cargo
  • Aircraft can back up under its own power
  • Short and unpaved runway takeoff and landing
  • Can operate on runways/taxiways as narrow as 75 feet
  • Aircraft maneuvering and overall size enables loading on limited ramp space such as “hot pads” for hazardous materials

General Information: The Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules is a medium haul cargo aircraft capable of transporting 21,000 kg. Cargo pallets require either a high-loader or forklift to access its main deck.

“The L-100 retains the same form and function of the original C-130 including its excellent handling capabilities and short-field hauling qualities.” – Wikipedia

 Aircraft guide

 General information

Manufacturer’s website

Aircraft Charter

Aircraft Charter is the simplest and most flexible option for moving passengers and freight. We provide a wide range of options for private, commercial and government clients from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, including, hostile, austere and challenging environments. Options for one-way, round-trip and space available charter flights. Empty legs and space available options are often the most cost-effective option for single or irregular shipments and travel.

Whether you require a cargo helicopter or cargo freighter, we’ll work with you to find the best solution based on your specific needs. Whatever you need to move, we will deliver, worldwide, on time and on budget.

We specialize in providing solutions for conflict zones in the Middle East Central Asia Africa

Aircraft available for charter, lease and sale

Contact [email protected] for a quote.

Air Charter – Lockheed L-100-30 (C-130) Hercules

Photo: Spc. Randis Monroe [edited] [©], via Wikimedia

2x
Air Charter – Lockheed L-100-30 (C-130) Hercules
Check Availability

Service: Air Charter

Aircraft: Lockheed L-100-30 (C-130) Hercules

Aircraft Type: Cargo Freighter

Quantity: Two (2)

Available: Ongoing

Route: Worldwide (may require repositioning)

Specifications:

  • Payload

    21,772 kgs / 48,000 lbs (volume up to 171.52 cbm / 6057 cbf)

  • Hold Size (L x W x H)

    1,690 x 304 x 274 cm / 664 x 120 x 108 in

  • Door Size

    304 x 274 cm / 120 x 108 in

  • Cruise Speed

    583 kph / 362 mph

Best Use:

Although austere operations and moving oversized cargo are the aircraft’s basic mission set, firefighting, airdrop delivery, humanitarian and disaster relief, search and rescue, mining and oilfield support and exploration, airspray and oil dispersion, medevac, and personnel transport are just some of the jobs this aircraft can do. 

Features:

The unique capabilities of these Hercules cargo planes allow them to fly as low as 100 feet and land in remote areas without runways or roads. Their sophisticated avionics systems allow them to communicate and operate safely in the most challenging conditions with no power or infrastructure. These aircraft can support payloads up to 48,000 pounds of palletized or break-bulk freight, allowing for the transportation of connex boxes and drive-on, drive-off loading for vehicles, and equipment.

EPA-certified waste transporter, capable of carrying all types of hazardous loads including contaminated soils, fuel, oily waste, and other dangerous cargo to assist in many emergencies and natural disasters. They are the first and logical choice for disaster relief and emergency response.

  • 48,000 pound payload with up to 6,057 cubic feet of cargo volume
  • Accommodates standard 88″ x 108″ pallets or containers, plus belly compartments and a ramp container; mixes of 10, 20, 30 and 40-foot long 8-foot x 8-foot cross-section intermodal containers up to 54 feet long
  • Oversized shipments up to 54 feet long, 10 feet wide and 9 feet high
  • Straight-in loading through rear cargo ramp door
  • Truck-bed height loading; ramp is adjustable to any position
  • Drive-on, drive-off loading for vehicles and heavy equipment (rolling stock)
  • Capable of transporting Connex boxes
  • Self-contained auxiliary power; minimum ground support required for aircraft systems, offloading, and onloading
  • Self-contained winch for loading/unloading cargo
  • Aircraft can back up under its own power
  • Short and unpaved runway takeoff and landing
  • Can operate on runways/taxiways as narrow as 75 feet
  • Aircraft maneuvering and overall size enables loading on limited ramp space such as “hot pads” for hazardous materials

General Information: The Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules is a medium haul cargo aircraft capable of transporting 21,000 kg. Cargo pallets require either a high-loader or forklift to access its main deck.

“The L-100 retains the same form and function of the original C-130 including its excellent handling capabilities and short-field hauling qualities.” – Wikipedia

 Aircraft guide

 General information

Manufacturer’s website

Aircraft Charter

Aircraft Charter is the simplest and most flexible option for moving passengers and freight. We provide a wide range of options for private, commercial and government clients from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, including, hostile, austere and challenging environments. Options for one-way, round-trip and space available charter flights. Empty legs and space available options are often the most cost-effective option for single or irregular shipments and travel.

Whether you require a cargo helicopter or cargo freighter, we’ll work with you to find the best solution based on your specific needs. Whatever you need to move, we will deliver, worldwide, on time and on budget.

We specialize in providing solutions for conflict zones in the Middle East Central Asia Africa

Aircraft available for charter, lease and sale

Contact [email protected] for a quote.

NDTA Annual Fall Meeting 2022

NDTA Annual Fall Meeting 2022

‘I was thrilled to be invited to represent ProCharter at the NDTA / USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting. A very insightful week, learning about the recently published National Defense Strategy and the value of Defense & Commercial integration/collaboration. I also had the privilege of meeting and networking with some incredible people, and I look forward to leading ProCharter with exploring opportunities to support the NDTA community.

– Natasha Watkins, Business Development Manager, ProCharter
Natasha Watkins (photo)

ProCharter was delighted to attend the 2022 National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) & US Transport Command (USTRANSCOM) annual ‘Fall Meeting’, in St Louis, Missouri.
 
This year saw a record attendance of more than 1700 members and was a great opportunity to hear some excellent Defense and Industry keynote speakers and, to engage with fellow industry specialists.
 
Gaining a deeper understanding of the new US National Defense Strategy and the aspiration to build on further collaboration with industry, gives us at ProCharter an insight on how we can evolve & adapt, in order to provide services to support the strategy.

Based in the USA, National Defense and Transportation Association (NDTA) serves as a trusted environment where Government, Military and Private Contractors can get together and solve pressing challenges in the fields of logistics, transportation and passenger services.

ProCharter has a proven history in providing solutions to Military Aviation and Logistics challenges, often in remote and challenging locations.

Defense Transportation & Logistics…
Evolving the Strategic Advantage

The Fall Meeting is a four-day, NDTA-USTRANSCOM co-sponsored, annual event providing government and industry the opportunity to identify and solve logistics and transportation issues together; learn about new technologies, develop best practices, and build professional and personal relationships.

This year’s theme, “Defense Transportation & Logistics…Evolving the Strategic Advantage” considers our highly contested and competitive environment and addresses the challenges existing to our logistics and transportation systems with intent and desire to outperform our peers in all domains and geographic locations.

Attendees bring a wide range of U.S. Government, industry, and academic experts together with the goal of improving national logistics and transportation systems to achieve a more resilient and reliable Defense Industrial Base.

– NDTA

Mission & Goals

Since World War II, the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) has served our country’s national defense and homeland security as a trusted environment where government, military, and private sector professionals can solve pressing challenges in the fields of logistics, transportation, and passenger travel services.

NDTA is a non-political, non-profit educational organization. Our three priorities are to:

  • Maintain that “trusted environment” by facilitating strong working relationships, education, and the exchange of ideas
  • Invest in programs and capabilities that provide value to our corporate and individual members, and help develop the next generation of professionals
  • Serve the broader national security interest through a new focus on all government stakeholders in logistics, transportation, and passenger travel

We have a rich history, dating back to 1944. In that time, NDTA has established a great track record of service; including real-world disaster relief through partnerships with organizations like American Red Cross, the creation of transportation studies and white papers, the development of emergency management plans, and exercises in cooperation with the military.

New Office Renovation

This week, we’re excited to announce that the renovations to our office are complete! We want to make your personal experience with us pleasant and comfortable as well. The changes in our office are aimed at that goal, so that you experience the absolute best.

– Andy Fleming, CEO

We are pleased to announce we have completed the renovation of our new Dubai office! Our new office in Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers (near the Dubai Marina) will allow us to comfortably grow and provide our clients with the highest level of service in Dubai and across the Middle East, as well as Europe, Africa and Central Asia.

“This week, we’re excited to announce that the renovations to our office are complete!” commented Andy Fleming, CEO. “We want to make your personal experience with us pleasant and comfortable as well. The changes in our office are aimed at that goal, so that you experience the absolute best.”

As a part of this move, we are happy to announce openings for two new positions, Charter Sales Manager and Passenger Sales Manager. Applicants are welcome to submit an application.

We look forward to seeing you!

ProCharter ~ Main Office
Office 208, Jumeirah Bay X2, Cluster X – Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Dubai – PO Box 338333 – United Arab Emirates

ProCharter Becomes a NDTA Member

ProCharter Becomes a NDTA Member

ProCharter recently accepted an invitation to become a member of the National Defense and Transportation Association.

– ProCharter

Based in the USA, National Defense and Transportation Association (NDTA) serves as a trusted environment where Government, Military and Private Contractors can get together and solve pressing challenges in the fields of logistics, transportation and passenger services.

ProCharter has a proven history in providing solutions to Military Aviation and Logistics challenges, often in remote and challenging locations.

NDTA Memberships: Time to Grow…Time to Go!

During my time in the military, there was a saying I often heard that was validated as truth over many years of service, “Mission first, people always!” The idea was clear: Nothing is more important than the organization’s mission, but it is also true there is no way to accomplish that mission without all the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coastguardsmen and the organizations to which they belong.

Since incorporation in October of 1944, as the Army Transportation Association (ATA), NDTA has been an organization driven by individual and corporate members who believed in the mission, “To foster a strong and efficient US transportation system to support the economy and the national security of the United States.” And those men and women dedicated their time and talent to building a strong US national defense. They passionately formed and led NDTA chapters and committees while working to educate government and industry on the logistics and transportation issues of the day.

– COL Craig Hymes, USA (Ret.), Senior Vice President of Operations, NDTA

Mission & Goals

Since World War II, the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) has served our country’s national defense and homeland security as a trusted environment where government, military, and private sector professionals can solve pressing challenges in the fields of logistics, transportation, and passenger travel services.

NDTA is a non-political, non-profit educational organization. Our three priorities are to:

  • Maintain that “trusted environment” by facilitating strong working relationships, education, and the exchange of ideas
  • Invest in programs and capabilities that provide value to our corporate and individual members, and help develop the next generation of professionals
  • Serve the broader national security interest through a new focus on all government stakeholders in logistics, transportation, and passenger travel

We have a rich history, dating back to 1944. In that time, NDTA has established a great track record of service; including real-world disaster relief through partnerships with organizations like American Red Cross, the creation of transportation studies and white papers, the development of emergency management plans, and exercises in cooperation with the military.

SOS Children’s Villages Charity

SOS Children’s Villages Charity Donation

‘ProCharter are proud to sponsor the SOS Children’s Villages charity in Sri Lanka. The charity do a fantastic job and we look forward to supporting them in the future. ProCharter has strong connections with Sri Lanka through our local staff and previous United Nations projects, so it is a natural fit for us.’

– Steve Day, Managing Director

Children learn much about the world through watching and imitating others. ProCharter embraces the importance of this concept by helping people in the communities where our employees live and work. This year we’ve made a generous donation to SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka to provide children in the village of Nuwara-Eilya with one of the best gifts children need as they learn, grow, and develop—a nutritious meal.

SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka builds families for orphaned, abandoned and other vulnerable children who have lost parental care. When children cannot live with their biological families or lose families due to various reasons, SOS Children’s Villages gives them a second chance to build their lives in a safe and loving home environment. SOS Children’s Villages has been serving Sri Lanka for over 40 years with 6 Children’s Villages in Piliyandala, Galle, Nuwara-Eliya, Anuradhapura, Monaragala and Jaffna, supporting more than 41,000 children.

SOS Children’s Villages

The first SOS Children’s Village was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Tyrol, Austria, in 1949. As a child welfare worker, Gmeiner saw how children who were orphaned as a result of World War II suffered. He was committed to helping them by building loving families and supportive communities.

Born to a big family of farmers in Vorarlberg (present-day Austria), Gmeiner was a talented child and won a scholarship to attend grammar school. His mother died while he was still a young boy, and his eldest sister Elsa took on the task of caring for the smallest of the children.

Having experienced the horrors of war himself as a soldier in World War II, he was then confronted with the isolation and suffering of the many war orphans and homeless children as a child welfare worker after the end of the Second World War. In his conviction that help can never be effective as long as the children have to grow up without a home of their own, he set about implementing his idea for SOS Children’s Villages.

With just 600 Austrian schillings (approx. 40 US dollars) in his pocket Hermann Gmeiner established the SOS Children’s Village Association in 1949, and in the same year the foundation stone was laid for the first SOS Children’s Village in Imst, in the Austrian state of Tyrol. His work with the children and development of the SOS Children’s Village organization kept Hermann Gmeiner so busy that he finally decided to discontinue his medical degree course.

In the following decades his life was inseparably linked with his commitment to a family-centred child-care concept based on the four pillars of a mother, a house, brothers and sisters, and a village. Given his exclusive focus on the need to help abandoned children, the rest of his biography reads like the history of SOS Children’s Villages themselves. He served as Village Director in Imst, organized the construction of further SOS Children’s Villages in Austria, and helped to set up SOS Children’s Villages in many other countries of Europe.

In 1960 SOS-Kinderdorf International was established in Strasbourg as the umbrella organization for SOS Children’s Villages with Hermann Gmeiner as the first president. In the following years the activities of SOS Children’s Villages spread beyond Europe. The sensational “grain of rice” campaign raised enough funds to permit the first non-European SOS Children’s Village to be built in Daegu, Korea in 1963, and SOS Children’s Villages on the American and African continents followed.

By 1985 the result of Hermann Gmeiner’s work was a total of 233 SOS Children’s Villages in 85 countries. In recognition of his services to orphaned and abandoned children he received numerous awards and was nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, he was always at pains to stress that it was only thanks to the support of millions of people that it had been possible to achieve the goal of providing abandoned children with a permanent home, and that still applies today. Hermann Gmeiner died in Innsbruck in 1986. He is buried at SOS Children’s Village Imst.

‘All the children of the world are our children.’

– Hermann Gmeiner, Founder

SOS Children’s Villages is currently active in 132 countries and territories. 438 SOS Children’s Villages and 346 SOS Youth Facilities provide more than 60,000 children and youths in need with a new home. More than 131,000 children/youths attend SOS Kindergartens, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools and SOS Vocational Training Centres. Around 397,000 people benefit from the services provided by SOS Medical Centres, 115,000 people from services provided by SOS Social Centres. SOS Children’s Villages also helps in situations of crisis and disaster through emergency relief programmes. – Wikipedia

Visit SOS Children’s Villages
Donate to SOS Children’s Villages

Photos © SOS Children’s Villages

ProCharter Supports UK MoD in Oman

ProCharter supports UK MoD in Oman

‘ProCharter was delighted to support the Joint Helicopter Command with a multimodal logistics service in the Middle East for Exercise Pinion Oman 21′. Our ability to provide rapid support and dynamic on the ground solutions was a key factor in our success. We look forward to supporting JHC and UK MoD in the future.’

– Steve Day, Managing Director

ProCharter was approached at short notice by UK MoD to arrange the supply, delivery and management of a wide range of support vehicles and equipment for Exercise Pinion Oman 21; Joint Helicopter Command’s (JHC) desert environmental training exercise. Having a geographical footprint in the region with our head office in Dubai, we were immediately able to divert resources and engage with suppliers in the region to source and deliver the required resources for the exercise in a timely fashion.

ProCharter’s Head Ground Operations Support Manager was immediately made available for deployment. All administration and central operations support functions were provided by ProCharter’s operations staff, from the geographically well-placed Dubai office. ProCharter’s operations staff and contractors are ex UK RAF Movements Controllers, with a wealth of global experience, covering aviation and multi-modal logistics, including ISO container loading and supervision, aircraft pallet building, cargo preparation, load planning and operational co-ordination, as well as being qualified and experienced in IATA Dangerous Goods (DG) and IMDG.

Our team was initially responsible for the provisioning and management of all vehicles and equipment per SOR requirements. However, our combined experience, military backgrounds and capabilities enabled us to offer additional valuable advice and support, through many discussions and observations both on the ground in Oman and in email correspondence and conference calls with JHC staff. This helped to improve operational and commercial efficiency of the exercise.

During the deployment, our team experienced temperature fluctuations between 27°C and 42°C and a cyclone that caused them to take shelter. Despite the challenges during the course of the operation, we effectively utilized (3) Antonov AN-124, five (5) wide-body freighters, twenty-one (21) flatbed and curtain siders, four (4) cranes, and delivered, sixty-five (65) vehicles, along with an array of supplies and equipment.

This was a thoroughly rewarding project. Our team enjoyed interacting with and supporting the UK military during Exercise Pinion Oman 21. We are looking forward to our continuing association with the UK MoD and, building upon this experience going forward as the UK Military develops its training program in the region. We consider and indeed realize that, with the world’s leading military nations, 3PL companies such as ProCharter need to offer a first class product that complements the deployed capabilities of the military and adds value within tight commercial constraints & budgets.

ProCharter, through its experience, network of local suppliers, geographical footprint and its cooperative approach, provided a ‘one-stop shop’ solution for the exercise. Our forward-leaning and logistically aware personnel and suppliers were ideally placed to fill any void or oversights that the exercise encountered.

About Joint Helicopter Command (JHC)

Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) is a tri-service organization uniting battlefield military helicopters of the British Armed Forces for command and coordination purposes.

The Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) was formed in 1999 to bring together under one command the Battlefield Helicopters and Air Assault Force Elements of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force (RAF).

The JHC operates 239 Forward Fleet aircraft including the Sea King and Lynx helicopters of the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force, the Chinook, Puma and Merlin helicopters of the RAF and the Apache, Lynx, Gazelle and Bell 212 helicopters and the Islander fixed wing aircraft of the Army Air Corps (AAC).

The JHC is unique within the Defence Organization, by remaining agile, interoperable, sustainable, resilient and affordable it will continue to be a vital element of the UK’s war-fighting capability. Combining all 3 services has shown that joinery works, the JHC formula preserves single-service ethos and pride, whilst capitalizing on the strengths of each service.

The JHC has cultivated a challenging and inquisitive culture, which embraces self-development and thrives on strong and intelligent leadership.