Community Updates

Companies Provide Pro Bono Support to Improve Health in Ghana

They come from companies around the world with two things in common: extensive business and operational experience and a desire to make the world a better, healthier place. Employees from PIMCO, The Dow Chemical Company, and PricewaterhouseCoopers will be among the first Global Health Corporate Champions, embarking on a month long service learning adventure to help improve the quality of public health in Accra, Ghana, in support of the Global Health Fellows Program II (GHFP-II), a USAID program implemented by the Public Health Institute and PYXERA Global.

Published 8 years ago | About a 3 minute read

“This program gives private sector companies a vehicle to complement the efforts of USAID to help address some of the deepest health challenges facing the world today,” said Deirdre White, CEO, PYXERA Global. “A tri-sector approach is essential to this and we’re excited to see where this pilot takes us.”

The Global Health Corporate Champions will work with local organizations on projects addressing clean water, food and nutrition security, and health system strengthening. The professionals, who will work at their company’s expense while on assignment, bring business and operational expertise which will be used to help host client organizations build their capacity to better serve their communities.

“Good health is fundamental to economic development and social well-being. By investing our most important assets—our people--we believe we can make a difference by contributing skills and capabilities which will strengthen the financial and operating capabilities of key health organizations in the community. We are honored to participate in the GHFP-II program and commend our volunteers for their dedication to the service of others,” said Douglas Hodge, Chief Executive Officer of PIMCO and President of the PIMCO Foundation.

"PwC partners and staff are committed to using their skills and expertise to solve important problems around the world. This summer, we are excited to send a team of our top health industry professionals to Accra, Ghana to work on a pro bono basis with GHFP-II to help improve the quality of public health globally. Our goal is to help improve the capabilities and capacities of health organizations in the region, and to develop leaders who will continue to make an impact even after we are gone," said Kelly Barnes, US Health Industries Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“Engaging our employees for impact and delivering breakthrough innovation are two key 2025 Sustainability Goals at Dow, and we see the Global Health Corporate Champions as a way to do both. By investing top talent pro bono in an underserved market, we have the opportunity to develop global leaders and gain insight through service—and that’s a great shared value proposition,” said Rob Vallentine, Global Director, Corporate Citizenship and President and Executive Director of The Dow Chemical Company Foundation.

“These are participants from companies representing a variety of sectors, including finance, professional services and materials technology that you wouldn’t necessarily expect,” said Amanda MacArthur, VP, Global Pro Bono and Engagement, PYXERA Global. “They’re interested for a number of reasons, ranging from taking part in the rising pro bono movement to raising employees’ global leadership competencies.”