QVARTZ drives ambulance from Denmark to Mongolia for charity
Scandinavian consultancy QVARTZ has donated £1,000 and an ambulance to the people of Mongolia, following a successful journey as part of the Mongolia Charity Rally. The Rally, in support of NGO Go Help, seeks to help provide improved healthcare and education to people living in the large, isolated Asian country.
The Mongolia Charity Rally sees teams of drivers from companies all over Europe travelling to the remote Asian nation in order to boost health and education infrastructure in the region. This year, professional services providers QVARTZ participated, launching the QVARTZbulance – an ambulance decorated in company colours – with a dedicated two-man crew consisting of Christian Østerbye and Rolf Andersen from Denmark. The Nordic top-tier management consulting firm has offices in Copenhagen, Hamburg, New York City, Oslo and Stockholm, and has been expanding operations in Scandinavia in recent years as the consulting sector continues to grow in the region.
The Rally officially launched on July 1st, in Brussels, though teams could set out from anywhere, and Team QVARTZ were waved off by the occupants of their Copenhagen office as they set out on July 7th. Teams for the event could be made up of up to four members, with either multiple drivers in one vehicle or two riders on two motorcycles. Completing their 15,000-kilometre trip after a full month on the road, the QVARTZbulance reached its final destination in mid-August, and as participants, Østerbye and Andersen had driven over mountains, across deserts, through rivers and around pot-holes in the process, in order to reach the rugged expanses of the ancient Mongol empire.
Upon arrival, the first £1,000 raised by the Herculean efforts of Quartz’ two man team was donated to Go Help, a UK registered charity which functions as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Mongolia, with any extra donations going to charities of the firm’s choice. Go Help focuses largely on healthcare and education, hence QVARTZ’ unconventional choice of cross-country vehicle, which they will also donate upon arrival. The organisation was founded around an effort to launch and operate ambulance services in third world countries, but their cause has since expanded to include a children’s activity centre or ‘Book House’, a university scholarship programme and a mobile library, which works to reach out to isolated communities in Mongolia.
Commenting on the achievement of the two drivers in the name of such a worthy cause, Hans Henrik Beck, a Managing Director at QVARTZ, said, “QVARTZ is a civilisation of privileged people, and being privileged comes with an obligation to do good for people who need a helping hand. Donating the QVARTZbulance is a small but important part of this equation. Also, in QVARTZ, we cherish and collect iconic moments. Following this intriguing journey has been iconic for me, and it will undoubtedly also be at the top of both Rolf Andersen's and Christian Østerbye's mental iconicity wall for a very long time.”
Going the extra mile
QVARTZ are not the only consulting firm to have spent the summer going the extra mile for charity meanwhile. In June, Big Four consultancy PwC employees took part in a bicycle relay tour of the British Isles, while in celebration of their 50th birthday, Capgemini challenged employees to each walk, run, cycle or swim for a sponsored kilometre worth €1, with the aim of raising a total of €100,000 for three selected charities. Mazars also got in on the act, participating in a Strictly Come Dancing-style event that saw businesses bring in a total of £4,500 for charities.
