IBM Corporate Service and Peace Corps have launched a public-private partnership initiative which will allow skilled corporate professionals to serve overseas in short-term consulting assignments through the Peace Corps Response programme.
Peace Corps Response provides professionals with an opportunity to serve in rewarding, short-term assignments, in various programmes across the world.
Volunteers aid in developing sustainable solutions that are designed to address challenges in the field of education, health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development.
The first of its kind initiative by IBM is set to be launched in three countries next year.
The first collaboration is set to take place in Ghana next year, where the companies will support the country’s Let Girls Learn initiative, which is designed to remove the roadblocks girls face when trying to receive education.
According to IBM, around 62 million girls worldwide face education related problems, and currently hundreds of Peace Corps volunteers have received additional training to help push the initiative further.
Peace Corps director Stanley S. Litow said: "IBM’s Corporate Service Corps represents an innovative adaption of the Peace Corps model where a company’s most skilled employees can work in teams addressing some of the world’s most challenging problems.
"Formally working in close partnership with the Peace Corps is a validation of the unique model that IBM established.
"With Peace Corps’ and IBM’s long term commitments to pro bono problem solving, the globe’s most critical projects will have an even better chance to be sustainable, repeatable and effective."
This is not the first time that Peace Corps will be working with IBM, as previously the organisation selected IBM Cloud to build its new recruitment platform to process job applications and fill volunteer roles across the globe.
