Press Release:
Grant is part of Accenture’s Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship initiative
Accenture and VSO announced that Accenture and the Accenture Foundations have awarded VSO US$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 US$9.2 million since 2003.
“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”
The award is part of Accenture’s global corporate citizenship initiative, Skills to Succeed, which plans to equip 700,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business.
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.”
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 305,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. Through its Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship initiative, Accenture is committed to equipping 700,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
About VSO
VSO is the world’s leading independent international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. VSO’s high-impact approach involves bringing people together to share skills, build capabilities, promote international understanding and action, and change lives to make the world a fairer place for all. See www.vsointernational.org for more information.
Source: Business Wire