IBM

In 2014 VSO began working with IBM for the first time to deliver IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC) programme projects in Nigeria, China and India.

ibm

BM has been running the CSC programme since 2008 and send 500 employees a year on assignments to address health, education, social and economic development challenges in developing countries. Participants are selected for their high performance and leadership skills and take part in 4-week assignments in teams of 10-15 individuals.

VSO is committed to helping IBM create the most effective programmes that lead to long lasting positive change, bringing people together to reduce poverty and inequality.

During 2014/15 VSO helped deliver CSC programme projects in Nigeria, China and India.

India – March 2015

In March 2015, IBM CSC arrived in Bangalore, India. Supported by VSO India, twelve IBMers, representing the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the UK, Holland and Denmark, are spending four weeks in India’s technology capital helping four local NGOs to improve and expand their capacity to reach poor and marginalised people in the city and beyond.

Two teams worked with Enable India and Samarthanam, organisations that seek to find employment for people with disabilities through support, training and advocacy. Watch this video to find out about the great work IBM are supporting at Samarthanam.

The third team will be working with Agastya Foundation which takes science and technology to rural schools via mobile classrooms. Read about Coni’s amazing experience with Agastya’s volunteers.

The final team will be collaborating with Janaargraha which acts as a focus point for governance and citizenship initiatives that improve conditions for poor people across Bangalore.

Read the Three Engineers blog to follow the team’s progress.

Nigeria – 2014

In June, the CSC team, comprised of IBM employees from Brazil, the US, Mexico, Ireland, India and the UK, travelled to Ogun State, Nigeria to work on four diverse programmes. These included:

working with the State Water Corporation to conduct an analysis of the water needs of the state and develop a strategic plan to meet the demand
working with Ogun State Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development to facilitate the development of an effective system for the gathering, documenting and analysis of gender and social development data

Read a blog of by CSC Nigeria 7 participant Alessandra Sousa Debord

China – August 2014

In August, the second group, originating from the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Finland, Croatia and India, travel to China to work with the city of Taiyuan on developing high quality social care services for the elderly, disabled and other marginalized groups. This will include:

Improving the effectiveness and coverage of a telephone hotline service for people with health or social problems
Streamlining the management and delivery of social care services for the elderly
Working with a social enterprise incubation organization to help to increase the number of successful social enterprises in the city of Taiyuan

Read team member Vishal Chopra’s blog on Business Fights Poverty

Read the IBM China team 25 team blog

CSC Programme benefits

There are three main benefits to this model of corporate group volunteering.

Partners receive valuable advice and support which can lead to a step change in organisational effectiveness and positively affect the lives of many citizens.
CSC team members develop leadership, team working, cross-cultural and other skills.
IBM benefit by having staff return better trained and more motivated, and through an increased understanding of new markets and new or strengthened relationships with key stakeholders.

Find out more about IBM CSC