Engaging Employees for Impact: Global Health Corporate Champions Improve Capacity for Public Health in Senegal

July 19, 2018 /3BL Media/ - For the third year in a row, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) will send top professionals into the field as Global Health Corporate Champions (GHCC), to work with local organizations to improve health in Africa. The highly skilled professionals, which include a physician, attorney, country manager, manufacturing manager, and supply chain director, will serve as pro bono consultants to two key public health organizations in Dakar, Senegal.

The GHCC is an activity of the USAID Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) II, USAID Global Health Bureau’s premier fellowship program that has identified and supported more than 600 diverse, technically excellent professionals at all levels to achieve the Agency’s health priorities. “During GHFP-II’s seven years, we have seen the global health field evolve, focusing on adapting skills toward building local capacity and ownership. We know that clinical skills are critically important, but we’ve also learned that there’s a necessity for non-clinical skills, like project management, sustainable financing, organizational strategy development, supply chain management, and professional communications. These are areas where our global health corporate champions have been so valuable,” said GHFP-II Program Director Sharon Rudy, Ph.D.

The GHCC depart mid-July for a month of pro bono service, working with local organizations on specific projects to increase the organizations’ capability to serve their stakeholders even better.

“Each day, Dow people collaborate with like-minded partners to seek solutions to the complex environmental, economic and social challenges facing our world. The Global Health Fellows Program is one great example of how we can build capacity in underserved communities around the world by working with government and non-profits, and then aligning the professional expertise and personal passion of some of our most talented leaders. Engaging employees for impact through this program offers a unique opportunity for Dow to partner, serve and learn,” said Rob Vallentine, President of The Dow Chemical Company Foundation and director of Global Citizenship.

The practice, known broadly as Global Pro Bono, is often characterized as a ‘triple win’: participants gain an unprecedented opportunity to develop their global leadership skills; local organizations gain access to expertise that might otherwise be inaccessible, and companies gain employees with strengthened capabilities, insight into emerging markets, and well deserved reputations for corporate social responsibility.

“Since 2013, we have been using this type of approach to develop next generation leaders at Dow,” said Johanna Söderström, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President Human Resources and Aviation. “Through our Leadership in Action program, we knew of the power of inspiring leaders through combining skills-based service and leadership development. The GHCC has given us the capability to do more of both and build a sense of pride and belonging at a broader level.”

The Global Health Corporate Champions will serve in Senegal from July 23 to August 17. For more information, see https://www.pyxeraglobal.org/global-health-corporate-champions/.

About Global Health Fellows Program (GFHP) II (@GHFPII)

The Global Health Fellows Program II is USAID’s premier fellowship program that identifies and supports diverse, technically excellent professionals at all levels to achieve the Agency’s health priorities. USAID uses GHFP-II to address its immediate and emerging human capital needs to support and sustain the effectiveness of current and future health programs. As new health challenges emerge and complex global initiatives are created to meet them, the ability to respond effectively is crucial. The vision of GHFP-II is to develop a diverse group of global health experts by recruiting, placing, and supporting health professionals in fellowships and internships with USAID and partner organizations. GHFP-II is implemented by the Public Health Institute and its partners Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International, and PYXERA Global.

About PYXERA Global (@PYXERAGlobal)

For more than 27 years, PYXERA Global has leveraged the unique strengths of corporations, governments, social sector organizations, educational institutions, and individuals to enhance the abilities of people and communities to solve complex problems and attain mutually beneficial goals.

The PYXERA Global team is passionate and dedicated to navigating challenges and pinpointing purposeful global engagement opportunities for its clients and partners. Initiatives include a wide range of services from local content development to Global Pro Bono programs and integrated community development efforts that transform lives and livelihoods. The organization will host The Global Engagement Forum: Live October 10–11, 2018, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

For questions please contact:

Roger Bain
Media & Thought Leadership Manager
RBain@pyxeraglobal.org
+1.202.810.0140

Learn more about GHCC on PYXERAGlobal.org