This morning, three employees from HARTMANN’s offices in Germany, South Africa and Australia will wake up at nearly 3,000 meters above sea level.

Their expedition cements a new, three-year partnership between HARTMANN and leading international humanitarian aid organisation CARE.

“When we say going further for health, we mean it,” said Stephan Schulz, HARTMANN’s Chief Financial Officer and Labor Director. “Over the next three years, we will select 18 employees to go to countries in the developing world to support CARE Germany’s local healthcare infrastructure efforts.”

As part of HARTMANN’s first social impact project and 10-day mission in Bolivia, employees will help CARE’s long-term efforts in the region to provide nearly 14,000 people across 75 indigenous communities with access to basic health services. The first cohort is currently stationed in the eastern Andean slope of Bolivia, called Norte Potosí, with Dr. Christine Harth, who is the CARE Programme Manager for South America and Africa.

“We need ample support to move things forward here,” said Dr. Harth. “The time, resources, and manpower that HARTMANN is donating is invaluable. The week will move fast, but the impact will be felt forever.”

According to CARE, nearly half (45 percent) of the Potosí region population is considered “extremely poor”; almost 40 percent of children under five years old are malnourished; and the region only recently received a supply of electricity and drinking water.

Backed by Harth’s experience and firsthand knowledge of the local culture, HARTMANN employees Tanya Stead, Fernando Sepulveda, and Raluca-Adina Czogalla will assist in healthy eating workshops for children; participate in conversations with medical staff on first aid and family planning; and assist in building one of three health centres in the region. The health centre in Tarwachapi will provide basic medical care for nearly 1,500 people (12 surrounding villages).

“For me, this is certainly not a holiday,” said Stead, a sales consultant with HARTMANN’s office in Johannesburg, South Africa. “I expect to work hard and to get my hands dirty. I’m expecting a lot of different emotions and really just going there with an open mind and tackling anything that is thrown my way.”

HARTMANN remains committed to tackling the challenges that healthcare systems face around the world. With more than 200 years of global health leadership and more than 10,000 employees in 30 countries, with a passion for healthcare, the company is dedicated to its mission: going further for health.

Follow #HARTMANNbeyond on Tumblr or Twitter (@HARTMANN _GROUP) for on-the-ground updates from Bolivia. For the latest healthcare insights from HARTMANN leadership visit New Perspectives. To learn more about the HARTMANN GROUP, visit: https://hartmann.info/.

About the HARTMANN GROUP

The HARTMANN GROUP is one of the leading providers of medical and hygiene products, with its core expertise being in wound treatment, incontinence care, infection prevention, surgical supplies and personal healthcare. With its headquarters in Heidenheim, Germany and group companies worldwide, the Group company is in close touch with the global market. The HARTMANN GROUP achieved sales revenues of some EUR 1.941 million in 2015, with a workforce of just over 10,300 employees.

PAUL HARTMANN AG, which is based in Heidenheim, Germany, forms the heart of the corporate group. It is one of Germany's oldest industrial companies, having been originally founded as a textile factory by Ludwig von Hartmann in 1818. In 1873, the latter's son Paul Hartmann, began production of absorbent cotton wool, and later the Ccompany evolved into the flagship of an expanding dressing materials industry worldwide. The HARTMANN GROUP encompasses not only numerous sales companies abroad but also, among others, BODE Chemie (Hamburg), Karl Otto Braun (Wolfstein), Sanimed (Ibbenbüren) and Kneipp (Würzburg).

HARTMANN Group (Paul HARTMANN AG)

HARTMANN Group (Paul HARTMANN AG)

Our brand promise is" going further for health" Our mission is to rethink healthcare by constantly looking for ways to improve treatments, outcomes and healthcare experiences in both the professional sector and at home.

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