12,000 Professionals Volunteered Abroad in FY 2005 – a 70 percent increase over FY 2004

WASHINGTON, DC - The Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP Office) at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has released its annual report for federal fiscal year (FY) 2005 which covers the period from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005.

“The VfP initiative is fulfilling the promise envisioned by President Bush when he announced its creation just two year ago, as a vehicle to promote international voluntary service by skilled American professionals in support of the nation’s global health and prosperity agenda,” said Jack Hawkins, Director of the VfP Office.

Highlights of the report include:

• By the end of FY 2005, there were 220 partner organizations, an increase of 15 percent over the previous year.
• The pool of highly skilled American professionals available through partner organizations grew nearly 60 percent, from 34,000 in FY 2004 to nearly 54,000 in FY 2005.
• In FY 2004, partner organizations reported deploying fewer than 7,000 volunteers. The number reported deployed during FY 2005 jumped 70 percent, to 12,000.
• Between FY 2004 and FY 2005, the number of volunteer opportunities available through partner organizations more than doubled, from 4,000 to over 9,000.
• Grants awarded to VfP partners during FY 2005 totaled $22 million, an increase of more than 60 percent over the previous year.

During the past year, the VfP Office also: co-sponsored the Second Annual International Roundtable on Service and Volunteerism in Washington, D.C.; formally assisted in the U.S. Government’s response to the tsunami in South Asia; and worked with key organizations to create new channels for international volunteerism by American professionals, as well as new ways for VfP partners to generate resources for volunteer programs.

The 2005 annual report includes an overview of recent activities and new strategic opportunities; an update of the six presidential initiatives comprising the U.S. global health and prosperity agenda; recognition of volunteers honored through the President’s Volunteer Service Award program; and a look at future plans. Also included are VfP volunteers’ personal accounts of recent experiences and profiles of the partners that deployed them. The report can be viewed at http://www.volunteersforprosperity.gov.

The VfP Office, located within the USAID Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, serves as interagency coordinator for the initiative on behalf of the USA Freedom Corps at the White House. Other federal agencies supporting the initiative are the Departments of State, Commerce, and Health and Human Services.

Volunteers for Prosperity was established by Executive Order in September 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 volunteerism. For more information, please visit http://www.volunteersforprosperity.gov.

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