When global logistics company TNT decided in 2001 to end its five-year sponsorship of Holland's premier golf tournament, the Dutch Open, few would have tipped Malawi's truck drivers and prostitutes as beneficiaries of the company's next multi-million euro corporate deal.

Yet two months ago, TNT chief executive Peter Bakker received an award in New York from former US president Bill Clinton for establishing the Malawi Wellness Centres, a HIV/Aids educational project for truckers and prostitutes. Indeed, the Dutch logistics company has dispensed with the corporate practice of sponsoring international sporting events in favour of channelling its resources towards helping the world's poor.

TNT communications manager Luke Disney says the decision to change its corporate sponsorship policy was taken shortly after the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11th, 2001.

"Our CEO was reading an article on a long-haul flight about why such an attack might take place, and one of the suggested reasons put forward was the inequality that exists across the world," says Disney. "The article asked: 'What are you doing [ to address these inequalities]?'

"This struck a chord with Peter [ Bakker] and he subsequently e-mailed people in the company with the idea of channelling corporate sponsorship towards helping the needy."

Since that long-haul flight, TNT has formed a partnership with the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) that resulted in an initial annual sponsorship of €5 million in 2002. This year the sponsorship rose to €10 million.

But funding is only one element of the partnership. Disney says that because both organisations are effectively in the delivery business, the level of co-operation has increased year on year. "We obviously have expertise in logistics, and the WFP is about quickly moving large amounts of aid to crisis points around the world, so our expertise is at their disposal. Each year, we have a pool of 40 specialists on call to respond to natural disasters and other crises. They offer hands-on support to WFP in those instances. We also allow 80 volunteers to go and work with WFP for a set period of time on longer term projects, but lots of our employees get involved on a smaller level, say like donations."

The Malawi Wellness Centres, which were funded to the tune of €100,000 by TNT, are the latest joint initiatives. The centres provide HIV/Aids-related health and education services to truckers who pass through Malawi and prostitutes who make a living from them. One of the reasons that HIV/Aids has spread so rapidly across the continent relates to truck drivers, who avail of prostitutes' services as they travel through different areas.

WFP project manager Robin Landis says they decided to focus on health centres because a trucker's health is of vital importance to aid agencies for transporting food aid across Africa. "It's early days, but I think the Malawi initiative is going well. Our first road-side centre comprises two 20-foot containers. On the one side we offer educational information and support groups, while on the other we have a health service provider," she says. "We are just the catalyst for this project, as we agreed it has to be sustainable. This will happen when the Malawi transport sector takes control, so we are offering leadership not ownership here."

But kindness or western guilt aside, are there any benefits for TNT to justify channelling all its sponsorship resources away from traditional advertising?

Apparently so. "The biggest benefit we have seen is employee pride - our staff are really enthusiastic about the work and, in the long-term, when you are happy in the workplace, you will remain engaged with the company. Also, there are three divisions in TNT and this type of sponsorship has created a common foundation that has allowed people across the divisions to come together.

"And finally, of course, our external reputation has been boosted," admits Disney.

While such ventures are still embryonic in terms of corporation participation, Disney hopes TNT's example will lead to other companies taking on similar policies in the future.

"We are not the only ones trying to get involved like this, but it is hard for the companies to find appropriate partners and consequently, they remain reluctant. Hopefully we are now a good example, and the next thing you will see is a more industry-wide approach to these partnerships."