Although she relocated from France just a year ago, it didn’t take Doriane long to realise that, while more and better infrastructure would go a long way to alleviate Phnom Penn’s litter woes, people’s attitudes also needed to change. So when she saw World Cleanup Day approaching on the calendar, she wanted to get involved.

Organised by the Estonian NGO Let’s Do It, World Cleanup Day is held annually on the third Saturday of September. The event aims to raise awareness for the waste crisis by encouraging people around the world to participate in clean-up actions. The first World Cleanup Day was held in 2018, attracting 17.7 million volunteers from 157 countries.  Having steadily gained popularity, this year’s social action attracted 25 million volunteers across 190 countries, including the entire AGS Cambodia team.

The early bird gets the litter

To beat the tropical heat, the 14 AGS volunteers gathered at 7:00am to clear a 2km stretch along the banks of the Mekong River in the Chroy Changvar district. By 10:00 they had already filled all their litter bags, 70 in total, for dispatch to a nearby recycling depot.

With plastic forming the largest waste category in Cambodia – 15.5% according to a 2018 United Nations Environment Programme Study – it’s not surprising that plastic utensils and food packaging were the most frequent offenders. Cigarette butts came in a guilty third place.

“We were shocked by how much we collected in such a short time,” Doriane comments. “But if World Cleanup Day helps just one person understand the scope of the city’s problem, if it encourages them to use their own bags when grocery shopping instead of buying bags at the store, then it was a success.” On its part, the Cambodian government has taken steps to raise awareness of the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. This mantra forms part of their long-term strategy to reduce Phnom Penn’s waste, outlined in a policy paper published in 2018. The document also outlines plans for improved waste collection, transportation and disposal.

Between government initiatives and the work being done by NGOs like Let’s Do It, Doriane is hopeful that her adopted country has turned the corner on its journey to zero waste. Nevertheless, the AGS Movers Cambodia team will be out in force again next year, on the third Saturday in September.

Moving to Cambodia? Contact us!

We are pleased to announce that our Parisian branch recently renewed its ISO 14001:2015 certification. The ISO 14001 Certification is an internationally recognised standard for effective environmental management. Through a series of requirements, it provides a framework within which we as a branch can continue to improve our environmental performance.

This renewal is the result of the unstinting work by the team at AGS Paris, the flagship branch of the Mobilitas Group.

“I am pleased that AGS Paris has retained this certification on their already significant list of accomplishments,” commented AGS Group CEO Cédric Castro. “One of the AGS Group’s key principles has always been to grow sustainable business through environmentally friendly practices, and the successful renewal of this certification is another way in which we are able to put our principles into effect.”

The AGS Mobilitas Group has made a quantifiable impact worldwide through our partnership with the Planète Urgence NGO, which was formed in 2009 (https://planete-urgence.org).

As part of this agreement (one international move = one tree), over 240 000 trees have been planted in the last 10 years in Mali, Haiti, Indonesia and Madagascar, on behalf of our customers.

AGS Paris has long been a pioneer for the AGS Group in implementing environmentally-friendly processes to reduce greenhouse emissions.

In addition to the ISO 14001 certification, AGS Paris also holds the following certifications and accreditations:

• ISO 9001:2015, for quality management
• ISO 27001:2013, for confidentiality, integrity and availability of information as well as legal compliance
• FIDI FAIM and FAIM Plus, specific to the moving industry, developed by the International Federation of International Movers (FIDI) to assess the quality of the work supplied by a mover
• NG Storage, a French standard that guarantees quality and reliability of storage service
• Authorized Economic Operator, a European standard whose aim is to facilitate trade and better secure the flow of goods entering and leaving the European Union

AGS Paris is also a member of IAM (International Association of Movers), FIDI and LACMA. Our partnership with the members of these three international moving associations gives us access to a global network of partners and allows us to offer an excellent service to our clients, wherever they are in the world.

Organised by the French Forces in the Ivory Coast, the concert was intended to collect donations for the benefit of “Terre Fraternité”. The association supports wounded soldiers and their relatives by helping them to reintegrate and transition back into civilian life as well as assisting them with psychological and sports-related activities. It also assists families of fallen servicemen and provides for orphans.

The Port-Bouët military camp was turned into a concert venue and hosted Magic System, one of the most popular Ivorian groups in West Africa. The event raised nearly € 40,000 in donations. AGS Côte d’Ivoire has contributed 1,500,000 CFA francs (approximately €3,000).

14^th Printemps des Auteurs (Author’s Spring)

The “Printemps des Auteurs” aims to highlight Caribbean literature and was organised by the Bitasyon Lyannaj Kréyol association from Villiers-le-Bel. The event, which took place on Saturday, 16 March 2019, marked the 14th edition of the event and allowed the general public to meet at least a dozen Caribbean authors. Two of the most notable authors at the event included Corinne Mencé-Caster, writer and university lecturer in Hispanic Linguistics and Translation Studies at Paris-Sorbonne University, and Serge Bilé, a journalist at Martinique la Première, who directs documentaries on black history. The day ended with a conference-debate on the status of women and persistent inequalities between men and women.

The Madras Fashion Show

The Mallees Niotaerc association organised a fashion show honouring the madras, a colourful checked fabric, emblematic of Creole fashion. The event took place on Saturday, 30 March 2019 for the second consecutive year.

Previously used for women’s outfits during traditional ceremonies, the madras is nowadays worn by local market traders. Young designers use this piece of heritage to enhance and preserve it, ensuring it passes onto the next generations.

Five stylists represented their conception of a magical world under this year’s theme, a fairy tale. The madras dominated the designs and offered the public a firework of colours and materials.

AGS Paris is proud to sponsor the Mallees Niotaerc association, which allows creators to publicise their work while simultaneously promoting Caribbean culture.

Inocenti’s main mission is to help children and families in need, and to prevent the risk of abandonment. Every day, in Bucharest and Bistrita-Nasaud County, 36 members of the organisation and more than 500 volunteers take care of more than 2000 abandoned or at-risk children, as well as children requiring special attention.

The project, which was initiated by a previous AGS staff member, Valentina Costache, was a great opportunity to get involved and give back to the community.

The AGS Bucharest team, together with volunteers from Inocenti, distributed more than 160 packets of food products to the three schools. AGS Bucharest was honoured to be part of such an inspiring initiative.

Related:

Team Introduction: AGS Bucharest and AGS Coordination
Secure storage for your personal effects – AGS Bucharest

The football tournament of the Gendarmerie of Rhône Alpes takes place annually and is organised by the CSALG (Sports Club Artistic and Recreation of the Gendarmerie of Clermont-Ferrand).

The CSALG was created in 1983 and has nearly 500 members. The club is also open to outsiders and creates a link between society and the police.

Fourteen teams participated in the 30th edition of the tournament and more than 350 people, including players, volunteers, referees and partners, gathered and enjoyed a lovely lunch together.

Cédric Herlin, AGS Auvergne branch manager and Guillaume Cartal, the branch sales representative (pictured above), attended the event and represented AGS. They welcomed guests to the AGS branded stand and shared some of the services offered by the branch.

An initiative of two rugby fans, the CRAC was founded in 2015 and aims to promote rugby in Côte d’Ivoire and more broadly in Africa. At its inception, the club had six registrants. A year later, more than one hundred children were registered and about twenty adults were involved in the organisation and supervision of the club activities.

In 2016, Emmanuel Henao, one of the founders of the club, decided to organise a national tournament to bring together all the rugby schools in the country. The event gained popularity and became successful quickly. It has since expanded and brings together more participants and partners every year.

More than 900 young people aged 6 to 18, including 250 girls took part in this year’s tournament. The development of women’s rugby is part of CRAC’s ambitions. As Emmanuel Henao explains, women’s rugby is a great opportunity to promote Ivorian rugby internationally.

Young Ivorians’ enthusiasm for this sport is a positive indication of upcoming matches for rugby fans.

The KL Cup is an international youth football tournament and targets competitive junior teams from across the region. The Cup aims to improve the opportunities for high-quality inter-club football in Southeast Asia.

This year the KL Cup welcomed 108 teams from five countries, just under 1,000 players, and recorded 1,012 goals in 480 matches.
AGS Malaysia provided large canopies at both venues to assist and provide shade at the registration and in results areas, as well as smaller tents to provide shade to players and parents at Ardence Arena.

It was really a delight and a great honour for us to be part of this great event that has become increasingly popular,” AGS Malaysia Branch Manager, Cyril Quenneville said. We look forward to continuing the relationship with the event organisers and be part of more future events.

Watch excerpts from the competition

Cyril Quenneville, AGS Malaysia Manager, with one of the winning team.

Young athletes receive close attention at the training centre which has proven to bear fruits as the under 16 cadet team currently plays in the national division.

The cadet team is currently enjoying a very successful season last year, winning all of their games. The team is now sponsored by AGS Nantes and boasts a new AGS-branded shirt.

We wish the young Nantes team a remarkable season in 2019!

Second time participant, Kevin Hamilton, was motivated by last year’s challenge and encouraged first time participant, Nguyen Thanh Hien to also compete in this year’s event.

This year, the 300-kilometre circuit connected the cities of Hue and Hoi An, cycling over the magnificent Hai Vân pass (the Cloud Pass) and its 21 kilometres of mountainous roads. Each of the three days included a course of about 100 kilometres and, although Kevin and Hien were seriously prepared for the event, the race was a physical feat for all athletes. In addition to the difficult terrain, cyclists also faced epic climatic conditions with a storm and almost constant rain over the three-day course.

In 2018, the Saigon Children’s Charity Cycle Adventure collected US$34 000 in donations through the justgiving.com platform (www.justgiving.com). Founded in 1992, the Saigon Children Charity (SCC) supports more than 2,000 disadvantaged Vietnamese children every year through scholarships.

Kevin explained his motivation:

“We are proud to contribute to this vital cause of education. Cycling mountain roads is challenging, but when you think about why you do it, it gives you wings. Education is paramount, it has the power to break the cycle of poverty and that is a very worthy cause.”