The world has grappled with access to quality education for decades 鈥� a situation further complicated by the momentum of advancing technologies and, as a result, the ever-changing skills needed to succeed in the world.
And just when we think we have figured out a , a path forward to 鈥渟olve the solvable鈥� issues like education through the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), a global pandemic wipes out educational gains made over the last 20 years.
The Global Business Coalition for Education confirms that before COVID-19,
260 million children were out of primary and secondary school 鈥� and
75 million had their education interrupted by conflicts and emergencies. Because of
the pandemic, 1.6 billion children were forced out of the classroom.
Today we are confronted with both the harsh reality of life and an opportunity for a better tomorrow. COVID-19 has willed the world to prioritize and focus efforts on what matters most.
On January 24, 麻豆原创 joins organizations across the world in recognition of . We reflect upon the important role education plays for a sustainable future and efforts to power equitable access to education and workforce readiness initiatives.
After a decade of bringing our best to the world to accelerate social business, join us in celebrating the impact achieved in this area through the award-winning initiative.
For the past 50 years, 麻豆原创 has guided organizations to become intelligent, sustainable enterprises. 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical has embraced this approach. By connecting employees and their skills to social sector organizations through pro bono consulting, we expedite world-changing solutions.
The portfolio of programs, executed in partnership with , offers unique triple impact and delivers long-term sustainable benefits to client organizations, 麻豆原创 participants, and the company. Our celebration honors this community, which includes 1,371 麻豆原创 employees who have worked alongside 453 nonprofit and social enterprise clients spanning 52 countries. Collectively, we have positively impacted more than 6 million people worldwide since 2012.
is a nonprofit organization based in Hyderabad, India. The organization creates education and employment opportunities for youth with disabilities that in turn delivers sustainable change for their families. In February 2019, Youth4Jobs hosted 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical participants, and challenged them to improve the organization鈥檚 business development strategy.
Founder and CEO Meera Shenoy shared, 鈥淭he three 麻豆原创 consultants adopted our passion for inclusion quickly and became part of the larger Youth4Jobs family, understanding our challenges and our transformational work. They also gave us a peek into the amazing processes of 麻豆原创 in every area, be it recruitment, marketing, or customer cycle.鈥� Shenoy believes that beyond the direct outcome of the project, her team was able to embrace these critical skills which continue to serve the organization and accelerate their incredible work.
Recently, 麻豆原创 CSR partnered with , an end-to-end impact measurement company, to conduct a study on the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical. Eight-six percent of clients affirmed that participation in the program had a positive long-term impact on the beneficiaries they serve. One program director in Romania shared, 鈥淭he work that we did together allowed us to build a scaled system to train teachers we serve for free and better prepare them for online teaching during the pandemic and afterwards. Significantly more teachers are now enrolled with our courses and activities than before.鈥�
Our Journey Ahead
The last decade has demonstrated that pro bono consulting delivers truly transformative and lasting change. Throughout 2022, we are thrilled to bring you additional learnings from our decade of impact study with 60 Decibels to showcase the benefits realized by social sector clients, employees who participate, and 麻豆原创 overall.
The strategy for 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical, initiated in 2012 as part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 response to the education crisis, is now evolving to also address the company鈥檚 pursuits around zero emissions and zero waste, while continuing to focus on zero inequality. We look forward to sharing more inspiration, innovation, and real solutions from our journey 鈥� past, present, and, most importantly, our future.
For more information, please visit .
Jennifer Beason is global program director of Social Entrepreneurship at 麻豆原创.
Hemang Desai is global program director of the 麻豆原创 Social Sabbatical portfolio at 麻豆原创.