AZ & VSO

We are working with Voluntary Service Overseas, an international development charity that works through volunteers to strengthen core capabilities in the developing world. 

VSO focuses on six strategic priorities: education, disability, secure livelihoods, participation/governance, HIV/AIDS and health. Our partnership with VSO includes both financial support and the engagement of AstraZeneca people in a range of different support activities.  

As VSO’s exclusive Health Champion, we have committed funds and have seconded a senior manager to the organisation to help them further develop their strategy and framework for delivering their health goals. We are also providing funding for VSO volunteers to work in underserved communities, helping to build local healthcare capabilities, including essential health programme research.

Indonesia – Maternal and Infant Health

With AstraZeneca’s help, 14 volunteers in Indonesia have been working on a range of activities, including improving the quality of maternal and child health services and building community capacity in health promotion and management.  In West Sumba, for example, their work has helped improve clinical care for malnourished children by establishing protocols for bacterial treatment in local clinics. (Bacterial treatment improves the nutritional response to feeding, prevents septic shock and reduces mortality.)  

Sri Lanka – Mental Health

In Sri Lanka, volunteers support the implementation of the national mental health policy in six provinces. A unique and key component of the volunteer contribution is the ‘on-the-job’ training, mentoring and support that highly skilled volunteers provide to the staff of VSO programme partners.  As part of this, volunteers, programme partners and staff are given the opportunity to visit another country to learn and share good practice.  During 2008, one such visit to India focused on community mental health and included meetings with representatives from the government as well as the mental health sector.  As a result of the visit, there is evidence of changes in work practices and attitudes of mental health workers in Sri Lanka. Examples include organising in-patient wards according to patient capabilities and/or skills and opening a medium stay rehabilitation centre.

Uganda – Health

With an estimated 1.3 million people in Uganda suffering from communication, swallowing and eating difficulties, work there is focused on speech and language therapy.  A major achievement during 2008 was the introduction of the Kampala Speech and Language Therapy degree at the Makerere University, which is the first of its kind in East and Central Africa. The programme will produce qualified Speech and Language Therapists to assess, train, research, prevent and intervene in the areas of communication and swallowing difficulties in Uganda and further afield. The course started in February 2008 with 13 students and two volunteers currently teaching the first semester.

Cambodia – Maternal and Child Health

In Cambodia, volunteers are working to improve reproductive, child health and nutrition services.  Key achievements have been the establishment of maternal waiting houses (where mothers with potential complications can visit and be looked after); an incentivisation fund to encourage people to become health workers; the health equity fund for hospitals (supported by VSO to enable them to assess patients poverty level and manage a fund to give them free health care); and new research into pre-natal depression.

Tajikstan

During 2008, VSO continued to work to establish a new health programme in Tajikstan, with funding from AstraZeneca.  Some challenges during the year (ranging from administrative to weather-related) slowed progress, but some advances were made.  Importantly, these included the preparation of the first draft of a Country Strategy Plan, with input from key potential partners such as the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (responsible for social services) and various local non-governmental organisations operating in the sphere of health and disability.  In addition, the first three volunteers to the programme have been recruited to provide training and support to local nurses across Dushanbe and surrounding areas, to raise awareness of good practice in social work and introduce core skills and methodologies.

Alongside this, AstraZeneca is also enabling its own people to volunteer for placements in appropriate countries, primarily across Africa and Asia, to support the charity’s overall goals, not just health. Selected employees are being sent on placements for 3 – 6 months, drawing on the broad range of skills they can offer in human resources, finance, IT and communications, as well as health and medicine. The placements seek to build professional capabilities in the government, non-governmental and community-based organisations that play a key role in establishing and improving important infrastructures in developing countries. For our employees, it provides the opportunity to make a personal contribution whilst developing their skills in leadership, collaboration and project management as part of their career development.

To date, we have had one employee working as an HR advisor for a food security NGO in India, another working in a capacity advisory role for a democracy and human rights NGO in Sierra Leone, a third working in Nigeria in an organisational development capacity for a youth charity, and a fourth working as an advisor for a business commission in Mongolia.

We are also working closely with VSO to develop ways in which we can extend the partnership to further engage our national companies in their own geographies. In the Philippines, we are piloting an employee-volunteering programme that provides the opportunity for our staff to work with local communities in their own country. Staff are also helping by promoting volunteering with VSO in their every day interactions with their customers.

Future plans include broadening our approach to employee involvement through activities such as e-mentoring and group fund-raising opportunities.

During 2008, a team of senior leaders from AstraZeneca, including our EVP HR & Corporate Affairs and our Regional VP for Asia Pacific, visited VSO’s health programme in Cambodia accompanied by VSO CEO, Mark Goldring. The objectives of the visit were to increase their knowledge about VSO’s health goal; see first hand the differences that our support is helping to make; meet volunteers, programme partners and beneficiaries; and explore future partnership opportunities.

The content of this page was externally assured by Bureau Veritas, February 2009.