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2005

KAEFER receives award for “KARP - KAEFER AIDS RELIEF PROGRAM”

	On December 15, 2005, the “Freedom and Responsibility” Initiative gave recognition to our company – in the category “medium-sized companies” – for our “KAEFER AIDS RELIEF PROGRAM“. The awards ceremony was held under the auspices of the “Freedom and Responsibility” Initiative, which was established five years ago by central business associations, the Federal Association of German Industry, the Federal Association of German Employers, the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the Central Association of German Trades together with “WirtschaftsWoche” magazine. Federal President Horst Köhler is the patron of the initiative, whose goal is to promote social commitment on the part of business companies. The rotunda of the Dresdner Bank in the center of Berlin served as an impressive backdrop for the event, attended by scores of guests, at which the head of the Federal Chancellor’s Office and Minister for Special Affairs Thomas de Maizière awarded those companies selected for the “Freedom and Responsibility” prize by virtue of their outstanding social commitment. De Maizière was very hopeful that freedom and responsibility will soon experience a real Renaissance in Germany. He expressed his appreciation for the fact that many companies do not merely strive for economic success but also believe they have an obligation to society, praising the broad spectrum of entrepreneurial commitment. As KAEFER’s managing director in charge of this project, Peter Hoedemaker is particularly delighted about the award: “Because we have been active in South Africa for over 25 years, the executives of the KAEFER Group naturally want to use its resources to help find a solution to the most pressing problem in this region. Being aware of our societal obligations as a company active in South Africa, we launched the project in July 2005, whose aim is to develop and implement a long-term AIDS assistance program, the focus of which is on prevention, consultancy, performance of tests and allocation of medication.“ So far this pilot project has succeeded in establishing a network which includes two additional companies in Durban (a city in the Kwazulu Region, where the largest number of infected persons are to be found) and the Durban Chamber of Commerce. The project has an impact on about 2,500 employees (among them 450 KAEFERites). Approximately 5 million people (some 20 % of the population) are infected with the Aids virus. The daily death toll for persons who die from the effects of AIDS is about 600. Last year 6 KAEFER employees died of AIDS-related causes; another 80 or so are infected. As Peter Hoedemaker explains, “we cannot solve this problem, but we can improve the situation of our employees and their families. Our endeavor is to help people and, through the implementation of this pilot project, to create the preconditions necessary for getting other companies involved so that many more people in South Africa can receive help. Here the funds are in part available, but the government needs assistance in using them to get help to the people. This is where our competencies come in.“ In addition to the extremely active on-site project team, 16 young KAEFER managers from locations all over the world will collaborate on this project in South Africa for 8 days to promote its implementation and make a contribution to society.
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	Characters: 3416 December 2005 KAEFER Isoliertechnik GmbH & Co. KG Corporate Services Communication, Advertising and PR Volker Pannemann