April is National Minority Health Month in the United States and this year the Department of Health and Human Services has chosen the theme, “Accelerating Health Equity for the Nation.” The goal is to raise awareness of the health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minorities and to mobilize groups across the nation, like the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, to work with government and other partners to accelerate the realization of health equity – the attainment of the highest level of health for all people (Healthy People 2020).
After decades of backbreaking subsistence farming, Malik Ndao faced a bleak future. Despite years of work cultivating his fields, Malik could barely grow enough crops in Senegal’s barren land and arid soil to feed his family, much less make a living. He was often forced to leave his wife and five children for months in search of additional work to support the family. “I used to leave my mother and wife for the entire dry season, and still I struggled to bring home $20,” Malik recalls from years earning tips pushing wheelbarrows and carrying boxes. Hunger drove him to scavenge the local forest for wood and fruit, where he gathered anything he could eat or sell. Barely surviving, he could only dream of a better life.
“Rather than marketing solutions to build the coolest and newest applications, we need to help the telecommunications providers build and manage reliable networks.” In 2013, Matt Berry spent three weeks in Nigeria as part of IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge. For Berry, who was Director of Marketing for IBM Mobile First at the time, he experienced a number of light bulb moments over the course of his assignment. “The company that can guarantee 24/7 coverage,” said Berry, “will blow away the competition.” This critical insight was sparked when he witnessed someone pull four mobile phones from their bag to make a call. All Nigerian network providers, they explained, were unreliable. When one provider went down, they would pick up the next phone.
“I achieved so much because most of the people who came to speak to us were ladies and that also means that ladies can also do something,” said a high school student from the eastern region of Ghana about a recent project with the Peace Corps and IBM.
Ghana has long been a launch pad for groundbreaking international collaboration. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent the very first group of Peace Corps volunteers to Ghana. Eight years ago, the inaugural IBM Corporate Service Corps team, which brings IBM consultants, services, and talent to the world pro bono, also traveled to Ghana. For both organizations, it seemed logical to launch the first IBM Corporate Service Corps partnership project with the Peace Corps in Ghana.
“Each person who volunteers their time in any capacity,” Pam Foreman, director of Susquehanna Service Dogs, says, “each person partnered with an SSD dog, each employee and each person who provides a monetary or in-kind donation of any amount makes this program what it is.” Harrisburg Magazine provides a "behind the scenes" look at Susquehanna Service Dogs and how little puppies become working service dogs.
Each year, in our annual sustainability report, we look forward to reporting our progress against goals we set to ensure that Sappi North America continues as a thriving, sustainable, re-investable company. We’re committed to keeping you informed on how we’re doing in terms of employee training and safety, key environmental metrics and, of course, financial returns.
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and you know what that means – time to find that perfect gift for Mom, a gift that shows her just how special she is. And while that “I <3 Mom” mug that you got her last year was cute, why not make this year’s gift Fair Trade Certified™ and spread the love to moms and women across the globe?
