At Accenture, I was committed to sustainability and making an impact in our communities. I thought it was very important to demonstrate community involvement and willingness to share the wealth of the company – both human and material – with people who did not have our luck. Passerelles numériques presented a great opportunity, and we moved on it! Computer donations, financial sponsorship and especially Accenture volunteers, helped begin this great partnership: an immediate success!
Since 2005, Accenture has continued to support Passerelles numériques through a multi-faceted partnership:
- Financial sponsorship: Since 2005, Accenture has granted US$2M to support Passerelles numériques’ projects in Cambodia and the Philippines.
- Skills sponsorship: Through pro-bono support, more than 200 Accenture employees, mainly from France and the Philippines, have donated their time and skills to Passerelles numériques projects on topics such as market studies, fundraising, human resources, communication and IT. Julien Légal, from Accenture in France, conducted a 15-day mission for Passerelles numériques in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in October 2013. To him, this mission represented “two extraordinary weeks in total immersion. Two weeks of sharing and discovering, by interacting with the students and the teaching team. Because this was such an inspiring experience, I have recommended volunteering with PN to both my colleagues and friends – some of which have already applied.”
Since 2009, 70 volunteers from Accenture in the Philippines have helped deliver Professional Life Training courses to Passerelles numériques’ students in Cebu.
- Computer donations: Since 2009, 75 computers have been offered by Accenture in the Philippines to equip our project in Cebu.
Lito Tayag, country managing director for Accenture in the Philippines, shares his enthusiasm:
I have always been enthusiastic about the PN program. As a people, we Filipinos have always kept deep in our hearts the desire to help others facing poverty and natural disasters. PN is about building a better life through education and skills training, and is opening doors for those who would otherwise be denied this opportunity. I am very proud of our work with PN.
In fact, since 2010, Accenture in the Philippines has welcomed more than 30 interns from Passerelles numériques, 26 of whom have then been hired! Check out Accenture’s video, which features two of PN Philippines’ alumni, April and Shenie. They talk about how they were able to reach their goals through the help of Accenture and PN. Roshni Venkatesh, Manager – Corporate Citizenship, Global Giving, Accenture, summarizes this partnership:
In Cambodia and the Philippines, we are supporting Passerelles numériques to empower and motivate disadvantaged young people to build their technology skills so they can secure in-demand IT jobs. The work is part of our corporate citizenship focus, ‘Skills to Succeed,’ which aims to equip 3 million people with the skills to get a job or build a business by 2020. We are proud to have hired Passerelles numériques graduates in the Philippines.
We are very proud to partner with Accenture and, on behalf of our students, we are very thankful for their unfailing support over the past 10 years.