Together, VSO and Accenture build programmes that have improved the lives of thousands of disadvantaged people.
We have worked with Accenture for over 20 years, with the first employee volunteers joining us in 1999.
Since then, 150 Accenture volunteers have worked in countries across Africa and Asia, responding to a growing demand for business professionals to help solve development challenges.
Improving market access for the poor
Millions of people live in poverty because they lack the ability to benefit from markets, while market systems themselves often discriminate against the poor.
But markets can also be a valuable tool to helping people out of poverty.
Together, VSO and Accenture have developed a market-based approach to improving the lives of those in marginalised communities. Improving Market Access for the Poor (IMA4P) is a five-year project, funded by Accenture, which has so far increased the income of 24,000 people by:
- sharing the skills, resources and support needed to have fairer participation in markets,
- building links that improve access to markets,
- working with stakeholders across the whole value chain to make the market system fairer.
IMA4P is active in Cambodia, Nigeria, Malawi and Tanzania. VSO staff, volunteers and partners share best practice between the four countries.
Meeting corporate social responsibility goals
In 2015, Accenture committed to equipping over 3 million people the skills to get a job or build a business by 2020. In 2019, they surpassed their initial target, reaching nearly 3.6 million people.
Partnering with experienced development organisations like VSO helps Accenture to meet and surpass their corporate citizenship goals.
Accenture employees also contribute to this by volunteering and taking part in fundraising challenges.
Partner with us
Knowledge Exchange is VSO’s corporate employee volunteering programme. Develop your talented employees, while changing lives in the world's poorest communities.