Presidential Initiative Promotes International Voluntary Service By Highly Skilled Americans

Washington, DC – Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP), established by President Bush through Executive Order 13317, marked its fourth anniversary today. VfP encourages highly skilled American professionals to serve overseas as volunteers supporting U.S. goals for global health and prosperity.

"For four years our nation’s talented professionals have truly demonstrated the ‘energy and idealism of the United States of America’ that President Bush envisioned when he established the initiative," said Jack Hawkins, Director of the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP Office) at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The VfP Office at USAID helped mobilize more than 34,000 highly skilled Americans as international volunteers during fiscal year 2007.

"These dedicated and compassionate professionals have answered the call to service by using their skills to help those in need in developing countries," said Hawkins. "For example, doctors and other healthcare professionals have helped to ease the suffering of those infected with the HIV/AIDS virus; engineers have provided villages in Africa, Asia, and Latin America with access to clean water; and business executives have mentored aspiring entrepreneurs to compete in the global marketplace."

The VfP Office, the federal government’s interagency coordinator of the initiative, is building a network of partner organizations - U.S. nonprofits and companies - that implement volunteer activities supporting the nation’s global health and prosperity agenda. There are currently over 240 VfP partners that manage and deploy American professionals around the world on flexible, short-term volunteer assignments.

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 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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