Dow’s Leadership in Action (LIA) program and IBM’s Corporate Service Corps are jointly launching PYXERA Global, to deliver sustainable solutions in Ethiopia.
In a joint global pro bono project, where International Medical Corps (IMC) will promote a campaign to mend sanitation and hygiene behavior in the community of Wolayita, five employees from Dow and three from IBM will take part.
Dow’s team will use this platform to encourage a social marketing program to initiate behavioral changes needed for sustained resilience.
Meanwhile, IBM will evaluate and design practices that can quantity how strong a community is in public health sector.
Further, PYXERA Global promotes such programs to help companies launching in new areas.
Collaboration is instrumental in a project of this degree as no company has all the solutions in the world. Around 35 percent of the world’s population is denied access to sanitation. Dow and IBM can create an impact by integrating strategies and leveraging talent, said, Michelle Langley, program leader, Dow Sustainability Corps, Global Disaster Relief, STEM.
By combining the best talent drawn from IBM and Dow, we can make a strong impact on the community building sustainable solutions, said Gina Tesla, director, IBM Corporate Citizenship.
Companies like Dow and IBM are playing a crucial role in firming the ability of organizations throughout Africa to serve communities effectively. We are addressing this across a bunch of problematic zones including clean water, sanitation, infrastructure education, healthcare, and technology, said Deirdre White, CEO, PYXERA Global.
Moreover, participating employees have worked for months in preparation for their trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in August to meet with the NGO partners.
Meantime, Dow and IBM employees were collaborating with PYXERA Global, preparing for sanitation awareness project.
Such programs educate people real life experiences and encourage them to interact with all kind of people coming from diverse cultures and areas of expertise, said, John Kolmer, human resources manager, Global Leadership Development, Dow.
Dow’s LIA is collaboration between Dow Sustainability Corps (DSC) and Human Resources. DSC is part of Dow’s method to meet most basic needs by designating capable employees with NGOs that need support for sustainable development projects, especially in emerging areas for Dow.
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