The Global Health Corporate Champions – Second Cohort Arrives in Ghana

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 27, 2017 /3BL Media/ -- The Global Health Corporate Champions’ second cohort arrived in Accra, Ghana to collaborate with four exceptional organizations striving to advance health conditions throughout the country. This cross-corporate pro bono team—comprised of highly skilled employees from SAP, the Dow Chemical Company, WE Communications, and PIMCO—is a unique innovation in pro bono, leadership development, and action learning programming. The Global Health Corporate Champions (GHCC) is an activity of U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) II.  

“The Global Health Corporate Champions initiative is an incredible opportunity to leverage the corporate sector’s boundless pool of talent to help tackle pressing global health issues,” said GHFP-II Program Director Sharon Rudy, Ph.D. “By tapping into these corporate leaders’ business and organizational expertise, we are reinforcing USAID’s culture of innovation and sending a message that the business community is a key partner in improving health outcomes around the world.”

This experiential learning assignment is often cited as a formative experience that influences participant perceptions of how organizations operate in emerging and frontier markets—a positive impact they often carry back into their professional careers to influence for years and even decades beyond.

“The most important aspect of learning will come from better understanding the cultural aspects, the behavior, the thinking process of people in Accra,” reflected participant Rahul Vig, Director of Product Management at SAP. “This insight is invaluable as it helps me understand the complexities much better and hence change my way of thinking.”

Stephanie Miceli of WE Communications, will start on a communications strategy for Nneka Youth Foundation, an organization that supports young people in rural areas of Ghana through camps, mentoring, and school programs, with employees from SAP and PIMCO:

Stephanie Miceli‏@stephamiceli  Feb 20
Touched down in #Ghana & super excited to start a pro bono assignment w/ Nneka Youth Foundation! @WEcomms @PYXERAGlobal #GHCCGhana #WEprobono
 

Hugh Adams, also of WE Communications, will work with team members from Dow to develop a communications strategy that will enable Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA), an organization that promotes the interests and welfare of midwives in Ghana, to reach its membership goals.

Hugh Adams‏@HughA_UK Feb 22
Great day spent with the next generation of midwives. Learnt a lot about the challenges our org is overcoming. #WeProBono #GHCCGhana

Other team members are zeroing in on cross-cultural understanding and the mechanics of public-private partnerships in emerging and frontier markets.

“I am really excited to understand the Ghana culture and way of doing business in the country and how I can leverage my unique skill set to support the local host company,” said Jeffrey Tazelaar, Global Leader, Supply Chain Innovation at Dow.

“I am most excited to observe how policymakers and NGOs interact in Ghana,” said Mack Darrow from PIMCO. “Partnerships between public and private entities in frontier markets have proven to be effective in promoting growth, and I want to better understand the extent to which organizations are engaging with the government in Ghana.”
 

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About Global Health Fellows Program (GFHP) II
@GHFPII

The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) 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 Global Health Bureau leverages GHFP-II to address its immediate and emerging human capital needs to support and sustain the effectiveness of its current and future health programming. As new global health challenges emerge and complex initiatives are created to meet them, the ability to respond effectively is critical. 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

Join Solving the Solvable: PYXERA Global Engagement Forum Live on April 4-5, 2017 in Washington, D.C. to connect with leaders focusing on key solvable problems within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).

For more than 25 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.

Contact: Katie Levey
Director of Media Relations, PYXERA Global
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