Every year at Christmas time, thousands of small parcels connect children and families in Germany with children in need in Eastern Europe. humedica's ‘Gift with a Heart’ campaign brings more than just material aid: it gives attention, appreciation and the feeling of not being forgotten.
For many of the children, the contents of the shoeboxes are something very special – hygiene items, toys or warm clothing, which are often not a given in everyday life. The campaign creates a moment of escape from difficult living conditions and shows that someone is thinking of them.
‘For the children, this means above all appreciation. They experience that someone has thought of them, even though they don't know them at all,’ says Anastasia Rotecker, project manager at humedica.
Great help requires precise planning.
What begins emotionally poses major organisational challenges for humedica: around 700 to 800 volunteers, a large number of collection points, tight time frames and thousands of parcels that need to be reliably collected and transported.
In the past, tours were planned manually. However, as the campaign grew, this approach reached its limits. Tours often had to be rescheduled, for example when additional collection points were added or parcel volumes changed.
TransIT as the key to reducing the burden.
The introduction of the TransIT route planning software from gts, which humedica has been able to use free of charge for the project for many years, fundamentally changed the situation. Despite an initially intensive training phase, the added value of the solution quickly became apparent.
‘At first, the software seems complex, but you quickly realise that it is very clear and user-friendly,’ says Anastasia, describing her initial experiences.
Today, postcodes are divided up, collection point opening hours are taken into account and routes are planned automatically. Changes can be incorporated flexibly – even at short notice and on a large scale.
Noticeable effects in everyday life.
The effects are clearly measurable: what used to take two to three weeks of planning time can now be done in two to three days. The error rate has fallen, the workload on dispatchers has been significantly reduced, and valuable working time has been saved.
‘Humans cannot plan as flawlessly as the programme can,’ Anastasia summarises.
This results in total savings in the five-figure range – funds that flow directly back into humedica's humanitarian work.
A reliable partnership in the background.
In addition to the software, humedica particularly values its collaboration with gts. The support is described as consistently reliable and solution-oriented – even in time-critical phases of the campaign. Anastasia sums up the collaboration in three words: helpful, uncomplicated and reliable.
Achieving more together.
humedica sees further potential for the future, for example through additional system connections. However, one thing is already clear today: without efficient route planning, it would be virtually impossible to implement ‘Gift with a Heart’ in its current form.
TransIT works behind the scenes to ensure that logistics run smoothly – and at the forefront, children receive a sign of hope and appreciation.
