Washington, DC – The Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP Office) at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has released a public service announcement about Volunteers for Prosperity, a presidential initiative that was established to promote international voluntary service by American professionals.

“The purpose of the public service announcement is to provide those interested in service with a glimpse into the international volunteer experience,” said Jack Hawkins, Director of the VfP Office at USAID. “Hopefully, the PSA will inspire other American professionals to consider doing what their fellow citizens have already done and continue to do - share their talents and skills to improve the lives of those in need around the world.”

The PSA shows skilled American volunteers putting “their knowledge and experience to work in places around the world where it’s needed most” such as Haiti, Ethiopia and Mali. It explains that VfP volunteers use “a leave of absence, vacation or time during retirement” to “build schools for orphans, train local health care workers, help aspiring entrepreneurs create businesses, and share many more skills to make the world healthier and more prosperous.”

VfP volunteers are managed and deployed by VfP partners, U.S.-based nonprofits and companies. Volunteers and staff shown in the PSA are associated with VfP partners Medical Teams International, Partners Worldwide and Geekcorps, a division of International Executive Service Corps.

In 2006 over 21,000 skilled Americans went abroad as volunteers on flexible, short-term service assignments to help provide life-saving healthcare, access to clean water, improved education, training to small businesses and other support to promote global health and prosperity.

The 30-second PSA was produced as a gift to USAID by Houston-based Vt2 Communications.

To view the VfP public service announcement and obtain information about international voluntary service opportunities for American professionals, visit www.volunteersforprosperity.gov or click here to watch the video from the USA Freedom Corps website.

Volunteers for Prosperity was established by Executive Order on September 25, 2003.  VfP works with leading U.S. non-profits and companies to deploy highly skilled American professionals in international volunteer opportunities that support the global health and prosperity goals of the U.S. Government.  VfP is part of the USA Freedom Corps, the White House’s coordinating council on volunteer service.  For more information, please visit www.volunteersforprosperity.gov.

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