At 10:20pm tonight Nathan arrives, and on Monday morning we're going to tackle Africa's highest mountain - Kilimanjaro.
Kili is 19,340 ft to the summit and we've decided to take the second most popular route: Machame. There are several routes to the top and this one is suppose to be the most scenic - that's why we picked it. Its nickname is the "Whiskey Route". The easiest route, Marangu, which most people take to the top, is known as the Coca-Cola route because people sell water, coke, etc all along the route. By contrast, they do not sell Whiskey all the way up Machame, instead I've heard it's nick-named that because Whiskey helps to dull the pain.
It's a serious hike. Not really because the route is physically difficult, but because of the altitude. You can't go too far too fast or you may end up with a serious case of Acute Altitude Sickness.
That being said, thousands of people get up the mountain safe and sound every year and we're going to be two of them. :) We've added an extra day for acclimatization and are both experienced hikers and mountain climbers.
How we're getting up the mountain is actually really funny. We have an entourage! You have to have a guide by law to climb the mountain and the vast majority of tour groups throw in a lot more people to help make the trip easier. We are not an exception. For just the two of us to get up, we have the following support team:
1 Guide
1 Assistant Guide
1 Cook
7 Porters
That's right, for just the two of us, we have a team of 10 people helping us get up! On any other hike I'd feel like we're cheating, but for this one, where it will be hard enough just to breath without a 40 lb pack on top of it, I'm pretty happy about the arrangement. Accommodations will be in tents the whole way up.
I've always wanted to climb Kilimanjaro, so I feel very lucky that my CSC assignment was just 60km from the base of the mountain! Stay tuned to see if we actually make it or not! :)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Expect the Unexpected: Part 2
Since it’s all about to end, it’s time to re-visit some of the expectations I had before leaving and confirm them as true or shatter them as false.
I had expected…
1. To be overwhelmed the first week with new faces, sites, sounds, smells, but I think most of it will be very positive.
Verdict: True
From seeing tropical plants and the number of people on the streets every day, to the smell of the sea, interesting culinary concoctions, and diesel fuel, almost everything was new. The hardest thing to get used to was being woken up every morning at 6am to the sound of roosters and the strange forest birds. However, the “new faces” part wasn’t so true. After three months of talking to the team via teleconference, we already felt like old friends, so the only thing that was overwhelming about that was actually getting to see everyone in person!
2. Dar to look much like Mexico did when I arrived there for vacation in the sort of way that it is inherently beautiful, but also sprinkled with signs that the community is struggling to catch up with the developed world.
Verdict: True
There is a lot of beauty in Dar along the coast and in Arusha, but it’s always juxtaposed with things like kids working with an ancient fishing net in the sea, run-down buildings, and poverty.
3. The food to be cheap and delicious.
Verdict: True…especially if you’re a local
Local Tanzanian food, mostly made of rice, ugali (cornmeal mush), chicken, bananas, and various sauces is very delicious (as long as you don’t eat it every day for both meals)! You can find places like Pizza Point, located right next to the African Wildlife Foundation where you can get a buffet lunch and drink for under $5 USD. However, most places in Arusha will charge you the ‘mzungu’ price (foreigner price), so you could end up spending a lot more on meals if you’re not careful.
4. The air to be very dry, the days very hot, and the sun to be relentless.
Verdict: False
Here in Arusha it is much cooler than in other parts of Africa due to its altitude. Each morning starts off cold (ok, for us Minnesotans, it feels tropical, but by cold I mean jacket weather – maybe 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit). It stays that way until all of a sudden around early afternoon it gets really hot for about two hours. After that and especially when the sun sets around 6:30pm, it gets a little chilly again. It’s only rained a couple times while we’ve been here and for the most part, I consider Arusha weather to be perfect. Not too hot, and very pleasant every day. It’s too cold for mosquitoes most of the day, which is another huge plus!
5. Grocery stores to be small and most people will shop in outdoor markets.
Verdict: True
Most grocery stores are very small and only offer a few snacks and toiletries. However, there is a Shoprite on the West side of town that is what I would consider “normal-sized”.
There is a big market in the middle of town where locals can buy just about everything and there are also a lot of little specialty shops lining almost every street downtown where people can buy electronics, cell phone cards, clothes, DVDs, books, just about everything. This and the market is where I think the majority of Tanzanians shop.
Below is a typical Tanzanian grocery store. This is where we bought 5-liter bottles of water for 2000 Tanzanian shillings or the equivalent of about $1.71 cents.
6. The hotels won't have air conditioning and I may have "friends" (perhaps a lizard or two) living with me.
Air Conditioning Verdict: False
The hotels are mixed. Our Arusha hotel does not have air conditioning or a fan, but it does have open screens and even some holes in the wall that lets in the cool air at night (so it doesn’t need air conditioning). Our hotel in Dar had air conditioning, but most of the lower cost hotels just use fans. The air conditioner really depends on how much you want to pay for a hotel room. If you’ve got $100 USD to burn every night, you should be able to get one.
Lizard Verdict: True
Just in the past week I've had a gecko and weird brown praying mantis thing in my room. One of my teammates also had a giant spider in his room the first night. The housekeepers leave the door and windows wide open while they're cleaning, so I'm actually surprised that more strange things haven't ended up in there!
7. Electricity will go out a lot, since we'll be there during the dry season and much of Tanzania is powered by hydrolics.
Verdict: True
If you would have asked me about this a week ago, I would have said false since up until now, the electricity has been pretty good save one night in Dar where we had dinner in the dark. However, in the last week, the power's been out almost every night. Our hotel doesn't have a generator for the rooms, so we have to venture out with flashlights to find places for dinner that have light.
8. There to be a couple of the most prevalent examples of U.S. cultural outsourcing (i.e. McDonald's & Starbucks) - after all, they've been everywhere else I've traveled in the world!
Verdict: False
I have not seen one chain restaurant in all of the African cities I’ve been in, which really surprised me! The only place that is remotely familiar is the Shoprite grocery store, which I don’t have at home, but some of my teammates do. I'm actually really confused as to why these restaurants aren't here? Are they overlooking a giant market or is there a good reason they've steered clear of Africa (like, maybe not enough disposable income)?
Usually I have a rule that while I’m away from home, I don’t eat anything that I can get at home, but after a month here, I have to admit, I could really go for a Whopper or a nice, juicy Culver’s Butterburger. Not to mention that I’m curious how they would say Big Mac in Swahili. The closest thing I’ve seen to a restaurant from home is the “Chicken Hut” we went to in Dar.
9. To see people playing vibrant music in public, and perhaps dancing to it.
Verdict: True & False
I don’t see as much of this as I thought. However, we do occasionally see a pick-up truck driving down the street with a marching band playing in the back of it. I found out yesterday that normally happens on a Thursday when parties get started for a Saturday wedding. There’s also a strange bookstore down Old Moshi Road by the Impala Hotel that is little more than tarps with stacks of books underneath it by day, but at night, it turns into a bumping hangout for the owners and their friends. They always had something playing at night, until one day the entire thing vanished into thin air!
10. Arusha will not have a movie theater (but I bet I'm wrong about this one)!
Verdict: True
At least, I haven’t seen one yet and when we asked the locals what there is to do on weekends, they told us that there was nothing to do besides go on safari…seeing a movie didn’t come up!
11. To be able to see the Southern Cross constellation.
Verdict: False
This one I’m pretty sad about. Because we are so close to the equator, the Southern Cross would be very close to the horizon. However, there is usually a nice blanket of clouds obscuring the view, so I haven’t seen the constellation yet. My husband, Nathan, thinks our best chance to spot it might be during our Kilimanjaro climb next week.
12. The people to be extremely friendly.
Verdict: Extremely True
You can’t walk down the street without people saying “Jambo” “Mambo” “Habari” and “Hi” to you. If you look lost, most locals will offer to take you wherever you need to go and some walk with you for blocks chatting about where you’re from, etc. It was a little overwhelming at first, but I’ve come to realize that most of them mean well. The ones that want to sell you something are not the majority (though it might seem that way some days).
13. The working climate to be a little more relaxed than here at home.
Verdict: True
This is most definitely true. Although most Tanzanians work Saturday mornings, they take long lunches, leave before it gets dark at 6pm, and generally are not to be hassled by deadlines. That’s not to say they don’t get anything done, but there is such a thing as “Tanzania Time”. It’s refreshing and I noticed the other day that since I’ve been here, I haven’t had one stress headache. It’s probably adding months to my life.
14. The people in large cities to have a decent standard of living, but to meet and understand the plight of those living on less than $2 a day.
Verdict: True & False
Many people in the cities have a decent standard of living, but many do not. Note that a decent standard of living is very different from the luxury we have at home in the US. Most don’t have a car, they live in small apartments or homes, they buy used clothing, they don’t eat out, but they are happy. I did meet people in the villages I visited with AWF who are living on less than $2 a day. Their lives are getting better, but there is still a long way to go and non-profits like AWF are doing a good job to make that happen.
There are still people like the guy in the picture below who fish on nothing more than a large wooden stick, using a basket to hold the fish.
15. To have the time of my life!
Verdict: Yes, I am having a great time here. The team has been amazing and we've had many adventures together with include visiting two National Parks, surviving the Pamoja (our hotel), eating exotic foods, and working "Africa Style". I wouldn't give up this experience for the world!!
I had expected…
1. To be overwhelmed the first week with new faces, sites, sounds, smells, but I think most of it will be very positive.
Verdict: True
From seeing tropical plants and the number of people on the streets every day, to the smell of the sea, interesting culinary concoctions, and diesel fuel, almost everything was new. The hardest thing to get used to was being woken up every morning at 6am to the sound of roosters and the strange forest birds. However, the “new faces” part wasn’t so true. After three months of talking to the team via teleconference, we already felt like old friends, so the only thing that was overwhelming about that was actually getting to see everyone in person!
2. Dar to look much like Mexico did when I arrived there for vacation in the sort of way that it is inherently beautiful, but also sprinkled with signs that the community is struggling to catch up with the developed world.
Verdict: True
There is a lot of beauty in Dar along the coast and in Arusha, but it’s always juxtaposed with things like kids working with an ancient fishing net in the sea, run-down buildings, and poverty.
3. The food to be cheap and delicious.
Verdict: True…especially if you’re a local
Local Tanzanian food, mostly made of rice, ugali (cornmeal mush), chicken, bananas, and various sauces is very delicious (as long as you don’t eat it every day for both meals)! You can find places like Pizza Point, located right next to the African Wildlife Foundation where you can get a buffet lunch and drink for under $5 USD. However, most places in Arusha will charge you the ‘mzungu’ price (foreigner price), so you could end up spending a lot more on meals if you’re not careful.
4. The air to be very dry, the days very hot, and the sun to be relentless.
Verdict: False
Here in Arusha it is much cooler than in other parts of Africa due to its altitude. Each morning starts off cold (ok, for us Minnesotans, it feels tropical, but by cold I mean jacket weather – maybe 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit). It stays that way until all of a sudden around early afternoon it gets really hot for about two hours. After that and especially when the sun sets around 6:30pm, it gets a little chilly again. It’s only rained a couple times while we’ve been here and for the most part, I consider Arusha weather to be perfect. Not too hot, and very pleasant every day. It’s too cold for mosquitoes most of the day, which is another huge plus!
5. Grocery stores to be small and most people will shop in outdoor markets.
Verdict: True
Most grocery stores are very small and only offer a few snacks and toiletries. However, there is a Shoprite on the West side of town that is what I would consider “normal-sized”.
There is a big market in the middle of town where locals can buy just about everything and there are also a lot of little specialty shops lining almost every street downtown where people can buy electronics, cell phone cards, clothes, DVDs, books, just about everything. This and the market is where I think the majority of Tanzanians shop.
Below is a typical Tanzanian grocery store. This is where we bought 5-liter bottles of water for 2000 Tanzanian shillings or the equivalent of about $1.71 cents.
6. The hotels won't have air conditioning and I may have "friends" (perhaps a lizard or two) living with me.
Air Conditioning Verdict: False
The hotels are mixed. Our Arusha hotel does not have air conditioning or a fan, but it does have open screens and even some holes in the wall that lets in the cool air at night (so it doesn’t need air conditioning). Our hotel in Dar had air conditioning, but most of the lower cost hotels just use fans. The air conditioner really depends on how much you want to pay for a hotel room. If you’ve got $100 USD to burn every night, you should be able to get one.
Lizard Verdict: True
Just in the past week I've had a gecko and weird brown praying mantis thing in my room. One of my teammates also had a giant spider in his room the first night. The housekeepers leave the door and windows wide open while they're cleaning, so I'm actually surprised that more strange things haven't ended up in there!
7. Electricity will go out a lot, since we'll be there during the dry season and much of Tanzania is powered by hydrolics.
Verdict: True
If you would have asked me about this a week ago, I would have said false since up until now, the electricity has been pretty good save one night in Dar where we had dinner in the dark. However, in the last week, the power's been out almost every night. Our hotel doesn't have a generator for the rooms, so we have to venture out with flashlights to find places for dinner that have light.
8. There to be a couple of the most prevalent examples of U.S. cultural outsourcing (i.e. McDonald's & Starbucks) - after all, they've been everywhere else I've traveled in the world!
Verdict: False
I have not seen one chain restaurant in all of the African cities I’ve been in, which really surprised me! The only place that is remotely familiar is the Shoprite grocery store, which I don’t have at home, but some of my teammates do. I'm actually really confused as to why these restaurants aren't here? Are they overlooking a giant market or is there a good reason they've steered clear of Africa (like, maybe not enough disposable income)?
Usually I have a rule that while I’m away from home, I don’t eat anything that I can get at home, but after a month here, I have to admit, I could really go for a Whopper or a nice, juicy Culver’s Butterburger. Not to mention that I’m curious how they would say Big Mac in Swahili. The closest thing I’ve seen to a restaurant from home is the “Chicken Hut” we went to in Dar.
9. To see people playing vibrant music in public, and perhaps dancing to it.
Verdict: True & False
I don’t see as much of this as I thought. However, we do occasionally see a pick-up truck driving down the street with a marching band playing in the back of it. I found out yesterday that normally happens on a Thursday when parties get started for a Saturday wedding. There’s also a strange bookstore down Old Moshi Road by the Impala Hotel that is little more than tarps with stacks of books underneath it by day, but at night, it turns into a bumping hangout for the owners and their friends. They always had something playing at night, until one day the entire thing vanished into thin air!
10. Arusha will not have a movie theater (but I bet I'm wrong about this one)!
Verdict: True
At least, I haven’t seen one yet and when we asked the locals what there is to do on weekends, they told us that there was nothing to do besides go on safari…seeing a movie didn’t come up!
11. To be able to see the Southern Cross constellation.
Verdict: False
This one I’m pretty sad about. Because we are so close to the equator, the Southern Cross would be very close to the horizon. However, there is usually a nice blanket of clouds obscuring the view, so I haven’t seen the constellation yet. My husband, Nathan, thinks our best chance to spot it might be during our Kilimanjaro climb next week.
12. The people to be extremely friendly.
Verdict: Extremely True
You can’t walk down the street without people saying “Jambo” “Mambo” “Habari” and “Hi” to you. If you look lost, most locals will offer to take you wherever you need to go and some walk with you for blocks chatting about where you’re from, etc. It was a little overwhelming at first, but I’ve come to realize that most of them mean well. The ones that want to sell you something are not the majority (though it might seem that way some days).
13. The working climate to be a little more relaxed than here at home.
Verdict: True
This is most definitely true. Although most Tanzanians work Saturday mornings, they take long lunches, leave before it gets dark at 6pm, and generally are not to be hassled by deadlines. That’s not to say they don’t get anything done, but there is such a thing as “Tanzania Time”. It’s refreshing and I noticed the other day that since I’ve been here, I haven’t had one stress headache. It’s probably adding months to my life.
14. The people in large cities to have a decent standard of living, but to meet and understand the plight of those living on less than $2 a day.
Verdict: True & False
Many people in the cities have a decent standard of living, but many do not. Note that a decent standard of living is very different from the luxury we have at home in the US. Most don’t have a car, they live in small apartments or homes, they buy used clothing, they don’t eat out, but they are happy. I did meet people in the villages I visited with AWF who are living on less than $2 a day. Their lives are getting better, but there is still a long way to go and non-profits like AWF are doing a good job to make that happen.
There are still people like the guy in the picture below who fish on nothing more than a large wooden stick, using a basket to hold the fish.
15. To have the time of my life!
Verdict: Yes, I am having a great time here. The team has been amazing and we've had many adventures together with include visiting two National Parks, surviving the Pamoja (our hotel), eating exotic foods, and working "Africa Style". I wouldn't give up this experience for the world!!
Last Day
Today is my last day of work with the African Wildlife Foundation. I was very lucky to have an incredible project that will make a big difference for 100s of villagers who live just West of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
I wasn’t sure what to expect and how much they would be able to use my work at first, but I found out yesterday that the next step is to submit the Business Plan I created to USAID to try to get funding for the project! What could be better than that? Nothing! I would love to come back in a few years and see the lodge in action. Amazing!
Most of my teammates are leaving today. Some are headed to Nairobi for a couple of days. One went to South Africa, and another is going to Ethiopia. As of tonight, only three of us will be left. I didn't think I would be this sad to see everyone go, but I am incredibly. The team has been a constant part of my life for the past month and they are all such wonderful, brilliant people. I really hope we can all find time for a reunion at some point (leading location: New Zealand). It's going to be really weird not seeing everyone everyday.
The AWF office where I've worked for the last three weeks:
The team - one of our earliest photos with some kids from a small village on the way to Arusha:
I wasn’t sure what to expect and how much they would be able to use my work at first, but I found out yesterday that the next step is to submit the Business Plan I created to USAID to try to get funding for the project! What could be better than that? Nothing! I would love to come back in a few years and see the lodge in action. Amazing!
Most of my teammates are leaving today. Some are headed to Nairobi for a couple of days. One went to South Africa, and another is going to Ethiopia. As of tonight, only three of us will be left. I didn't think I would be this sad to see everyone go, but I am incredibly. The team has been a constant part of my life for the past month and they are all such wonderful, brilliant people. I really hope we can all find time for a reunion at some point (leading location: New Zealand). It's going to be really weird not seeing everyone everyday.
The AWF office where I've worked for the last three weeks:
The team - one of our earliest photos with some kids from a small village on the way to Arusha:
Saturday, September 13, 2008
SCRUM!
No, for those of you back home, I’m not talking about agile development, I’m talking Rugby!
In addition to learning a lot about Tanzania & Africa, I’m finding myself learning a ton about the home countries of my teammates. Today, I saw my first full Rugby match, courtesy of my teammate from New Zealand, Mike. He’d been talking about the All Blacks, Rugby, and their rivalry with Australia ever since – well, before we even got here. Today, the Tri-Nation Rugby championship (the tri-nations being South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) took place between the Wallabies (Australia) and the All Blacks (New Zealand). Mike had worked hard to make contact with some of the local Tanzania National Rugby players in town and found out that the game would be on at a swank little expat hangout called The Players Club.
Before arriving, we rolled up to a gated community – the nicest I’ve seen yet in Africa and our cab driver had to sign-in before being let through the gate. We found out later that this area, whose houses range from $1300-$2000/month, is where the United Nations people live.
The club itself was a nice little hang-out, which, in addition to having a bar/restaurant, had a gym, pool, tennis courts, and giant playground for kids. Almost everyone there was from another country. I saw a few people we’d met earlier in the month, like Peter Lindstrom, the head of Hoopoe Safaris who I interviewed for my work with AWF and the Australian owner of a nice restaurant in town called Stiggy’s.
Rugby, I have to admit is a pretty exciting sport compared to American Football. I was confused at first when they didn’t stop playing after the first tackle – I expected a commercial break, but instead I got 40 minutes of almost uninterrupted, hard core, all-out men attacking other men. It’s fascinating. They wear no padding like our guys in the NFL and I’m sorry, but Richie McCaw (All Blacks captain) makes Brett Farve look like a fairy.
For those of you that, like me until today, have never seen a game, here’s the scoop. It’s very similar to American Football. A guy kicks the ball, there is tackling, and the scoring is similar in that by reaching the end zone you can score a total of 7 points if your kicker makes the free kick. Differences as I saw them:
1. You can’t pass forward, you can only kick and run forward.
2. When a tackle is made, the game continues until one of the teams wrestles up the ball and continues down the field.
3. The clock is not stopped for penalties – only injuries, which I’m told are often faked to slow the game down the bit.
4. There are two 40-minute halves.
5. In the end zone, you have to get the ball on the ground before the score counts.
All-in-all, I had a great time watching the game AND the All Black won after a very close game – you can’t beat that! I think the only thing I didn’t like about Rugby is that I’m not going to have easy access to games when I get back home!
In addition to learning a lot about Tanzania & Africa, I’m finding myself learning a ton about the home countries of my teammates. Today, I saw my first full Rugby match, courtesy of my teammate from New Zealand, Mike. He’d been talking about the All Blacks, Rugby, and their rivalry with Australia ever since – well, before we even got here. Today, the Tri-Nation Rugby championship (the tri-nations being South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) took place between the Wallabies (Australia) and the All Blacks (New Zealand). Mike had worked hard to make contact with some of the local Tanzania National Rugby players in town and found out that the game would be on at a swank little expat hangout called The Players Club.
Before arriving, we rolled up to a gated community – the nicest I’ve seen yet in Africa and our cab driver had to sign-in before being let through the gate. We found out later that this area, whose houses range from $1300-$2000/month, is where the United Nations people live.
The club itself was a nice little hang-out, which, in addition to having a bar/restaurant, had a gym, pool, tennis courts, and giant playground for kids. Almost everyone there was from another country. I saw a few people we’d met earlier in the month, like Peter Lindstrom, the head of Hoopoe Safaris who I interviewed for my work with AWF and the Australian owner of a nice restaurant in town called Stiggy’s.
Rugby, I have to admit is a pretty exciting sport compared to American Football. I was confused at first when they didn’t stop playing after the first tackle – I expected a commercial break, but instead I got 40 minutes of almost uninterrupted, hard core, all-out men attacking other men. It’s fascinating. They wear no padding like our guys in the NFL and I’m sorry, but Richie McCaw (All Blacks captain) makes Brett Farve look like a fairy.
For those of you that, like me until today, have never seen a game, here’s the scoop. It’s very similar to American Football. A guy kicks the ball, there is tackling, and the scoring is similar in that by reaching the end zone you can score a total of 7 points if your kicker makes the free kick. Differences as I saw them:
1. You can’t pass forward, you can only kick and run forward.
2. When a tackle is made, the game continues until one of the teams wrestles up the ball and continues down the field.
3. The clock is not stopped for penalties – only injuries, which I’m told are often faked to slow the game down the bit.
4. There are two 40-minute halves.
5. In the end zone, you have to get the ball on the ground before the score counts.
All-in-all, I had a great time watching the game AND the All Black won after a very close game – you can’t beat that! I think the only thing I didn’t like about Rugby is that I’m not going to have easy access to games when I get back home!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Road Trip - Africa Style
I already blogged about our Road Trip from Dar to Arusha, but I also made a video so that everyone could see for themselves what the journey was like. Caution: If you get car sick, you may not want to watch some parts of this as I've captured Africa flying by, in all of its bumpy glory.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Manyara Ranch Video
Finally, after trying to upload this for two weeks, I got it to work over lunch today. Here's a video I made after two of my teammates and I visited AWF's Manyara Ranch during our first week here. It's also out on You Tube.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Associated Press Article
Our communications department has been busy issueing press releases all over the place. There have been articles in The Guardian, Business Day (a paper in South Africa), and a few local places. This one came out in the Associated Press today and is kind of nice. Apparently the president knows about the program now...
IBM pledges $250M for volunteer program
7 hours ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — IBM Corp. pledged Monday to contribute $250 million in services to charities and nonprofit groups, expanding a program that sends rising stars within the company to developing countries to polish their leadership skills in diverse environments.
The Armonk, N.Y.-based company announced the three-year commitment in conjunction with a speech by President Bush at the White House on volunteerism in which he praised the innovation of IBM's Corporate Services Corps program.
IBM describes the program as a corporate version of the Peace Corps. Interested employees apply for a limited number of slots. If selected — IBM says its acceptance rates are sometimes lower than Harvard University's — they are sent off to work with groups in emerging countries on a variety of business and technology problems, such as building out information technology infrastructure or starting microfinancing programs.
The $250 million refers to pro bono services and employees' time that IBM plans to donate over the next three years as part of the program.
IBM pledges $250M for volunteer program
7 hours ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — IBM Corp. pledged Monday to contribute $250 million in services to charities and nonprofit groups, expanding a program that sends rising stars within the company to developing countries to polish their leadership skills in diverse environments.
The Armonk, N.Y.-based company announced the three-year commitment in conjunction with a speech by President Bush at the White House on volunteerism in which he praised the innovation of IBM's Corporate Services Corps program.
IBM describes the program as a corporate version of the Peace Corps. Interested employees apply for a limited number of slots. If selected — IBM says its acceptance rates are sometimes lower than Harvard University's — they are sent off to work with groups in emerging countries on a variety of business and technology problems, such as building out information technology infrastructure or starting microfinancing programs.
The $250 million refers to pro bono services and employees' time that IBM plans to donate over the next three years as part of the program.
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