Mercedes 2004 Annual Report Download - page 85

Making mobility safe. Targeted specifically at children between
the ages of eight and twelve, the MobileKids campaign we
launched in 2001 provides youngsters with information on how to
behave sensibly in traffic situations. The campaign consists of
three main elements: a series of television commercials featuring
international stars, an animated TV series called “The Nimbols”,
and a website (www.mobilekids.net). The project has also been
expanded to countries outside Germany. For example, Daimler-
Chrysler Thailand has established a local traffic school along the
lines of MobileKids.
Employees’ social commitment. DaimlerChrysler promotes social
commitment at all of its business locations. The DaimlerChrysler
Corporation Fund supports numerous charitable and relief orga-
nizations in the NAFTA region in four fields of action: Community
Vitality, Public Policy, Future Workforce and Employee Activities.
In 2004, the Fund invested US $250,000 to reclaim land near the
Toledo North Assembly Plant (home of the Jeep®Liberty and
the Jeep®Wrangler) and build the nearby Liberty Park, which has
pathways for cyclists and picnic places. DaimlerChrysler employ-
ees also volunteer their leisure time to improve their communities.
For example, over 100 employees from the Jefferson North
Assembly Plant (home of the Jeep®Grand Cherokee) and the Mack
Engine Plant have renovated two residential facilities on the east
side of Detroit.
Transatlantic dialogue. As a German-American company, we
maintain the transatlantic dialogue in a variety of ways. For ex-
ample, DaimlerChrysler is one of the main sponsors of the resto-
ration of the Hotel de Talleyrand in Paris, where the Marshall
Plan was drawn up after World War II. In 2004, the “Bridge New
York-Berlin” initiative, a group of several German companies
headed by DaimlerChrysler, fulfilled the promise made by Chan-
cellor Schröder shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001 to invite 1,000 New York students to spend time in Germany.
Training network promotes intercultural exchange. As
languages, cultures and religions differ in almost every country,
we see it as our duty to promote intercultural dialogue through
our social activities. DaimlerChrysler has therefore established a
learning and training network that enables a global transfer of
knowledge. In addition to training sites in Kabul, Palestine and
Tashkent, this effort also includes financial support for young
people who are unable to pay for their education. We also maintain
outstanding partnerships with a large number of Chinese univer-
sities. Since 1994, we have cooperated with the University of
Beida, one of China’s oldest and most internationally renowned
universities.
Promoting dialogue between cultures. The Mondialogo project,
which DaimlerChrysler has supported since 2003 in partnership
with UNESCO, promotes intercultural dialogue and understanding,
respect and acceptance among young people. Through this
project, young people meet their peers from other parts of the
world to share experiences and collaboratively solve problems.
The Mondialogo School Contest carried out in 2004 became the
largest contest of its kind worldwide, with more than 24,000 par-
ticipants from 126 countries. The project’s website has estab-
lished itself as an information and discussion platform focusing on
intercultural dialogue. Thousands of online reports and links with
other portals direct interested users to www.mondialogo.org.
Immediate disaster recovery aid. To alleviate suffering in the
regions affected by the tsunami in Asia of December 26, 2004,
DaimlerChrysler provided aid worth €2 million within a very short
time. In addition to this immediate assistance, we are also
involved in measures with long-term effects such as rebuilding
schools and orphanages. The DaimlerChrysler national companies
also provided vehicles, which were urgently required to distribute
the donated goods. The willingness of our worldwide employees
to donate was a sign of solidarity with the victims of the disaster.
Many pressing problems can only be overcome through joint
action. This is why DaimlerChrysler is playing an active role in the
creation of new “responsibility partnerships” with political and
social organizations and the business community. These partner-
ships foster trust, reduce alienation and build bridges between
different cultures and value systems.
DaimlerChrysler is committed to its role in society.
Clifford Panter is chief physician at the South African DaimlerChrysler plant in East
London. In the mid-1990s, we started a comprehensive program to employees
and their families in the fight against HIV/AIDS which is beginning to pay off. The
infection rate in the workforce has clearly declined, and the number of deaths
has been more than halved: a pioneering health project!
Social responsibility.
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