Accenture and VSO have made known that Accenture and the Accenture Foundations have given VSO $3.5 million to help the charity deliver job skills training to approximately 22,300 poor and disadvantaged people in Nigeria, Cambodia, Tanzania and Malawi. This grant brings Accenture’s direct support to VSO to more than $9.2 million since 2003.
The grant is part of Accenture’s global corporate citizenship initiative that is looking to equip 700,000 people around the world by next year with the buisness skills as well as to get a job.
The five-year grant will support VSO’s new Improving Market Access for the Poor program by helping the organization develop the tools and people needed to deliver the initiative, enhance job skills and technical training and, ultimately, enable more poor and disadvantaged people – especially women – to participate in the economy.
“Supporting VSO’s Improving Market Access for the Poor program will help VSO identify where job and enterprise opportunities exist and empower people to access them,” said Jill Huntley, managing director, Global Corporate Citizenship, Accenture. “Over the course of five years, we will reach thousands of people by giving them the support and skills training they need to break into and start participating in the economy.”
In addition to the grant, Accenture will support VSO with pro-bono consulting and volunteering services, including developing economic analyses, creating training curricula and coaching and mentoring program staff.
“This support from Accenture provides for us the funding, tools and access to experienced professionals, to complement our expertise in international development,” said Donne Cameron, director of Africa, VSO. “We’re looking forward to the potential the Improving Market Access for the Poor program presents for people, especially for women, who are struggling to make the local markets work to their advantage.”
