Volunteerism

IFC staff are given time off each year for volunteer work. They devoted 562 community service days during fiscal year 2007 serving the communities globally where we have offices and staff. Some outreach events are organized by IFC staff to help those less fortunate in our surrounding communities:

Volunteer Activities
China (Hong Kong)	Joined 'International Coastal Cleanup' campaign and cleaned a popular beach in Hong Kong
India (Guwahati)	Provided adult education in nearby villages, and supporting a ban on Polythene bags
Kenya (Nairobi)	Made structural improvements to a local children's home
Philippines	Collaborated with Gawad Kalinga Foundation to construct houses for homeless residents of Western Bicutan in Taguig City.
South Africa (Johannesburg)	Refurbished local school, including repainting all school blocks and new sporting facilities
Turkey (Istanbul)	Tree planting
Washington, DC	Contributed more than 320 hours performing various tasks for the community such as food preparation for youth and homeless people, river clean up, invasive species removal, construction and painting services, and coaching/ mentoring services

Staff members are also active in their communities beyond organized IFC activities. They volunteer in schools, churches, mosques, synagogues, community centers, and nonprofit organizations. This commitment to helping people is integral to who we are and why we work at IFC.

The World Bank Group is the third largest employer in the Washington, DC area, excluding the Federal and District governments. With this large representation, it has a Community Outreach Program dedicated to helping the community of the Metropolitan Washington Area improve people's lives in a sustainable way. Education and youth development, particularly in low-income communities in Wards 6, 7 and 8, have been key focuses of the World Bank Group's activities locally in DC. This year, IFC distributed copies of Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth," to DC Public Schools and organized interactive classroom presentations by IFC experts on climate change.

Spotlight: Infrastructure Department - Cleaning Up Rock Creek and the Potomac River

Through "Friends of Rock Creek," on September 26, 2007, a team of 12 IFC volunteers spent three hours cleaning up Rock Creek, at the entrance to the Potomac River. The volunteers cleared 20 bags of trash, 1 auto wheel, 1 oil drum and a cooler out of Rock Creek. The idea for this initiative came from the desire to give back to the community to take advantage of the IFC policy that allows each staff member to use one day of paid annual leave for community service. As part of this volunteer activity, the IFC volunteers received education about the Rock Creek watershed during a presentation by "Friends of Rock Creek."

Spotlight: Denpasar - Planting Mangroves

IFC Denpasar had a mangrove planting session on Sunday, March 16, 2008. In partnership with Mangrove Information Center and other partners, IFC Denpasar planted 1,000 mangrove seedlings along the shore of mangrove forest in South Bali. The Country Manager of IFC Indonesia, Adam Sack, joined the mangrove planting session. All Denpasar friends felt strongly encouraged by the fact that the Country Manager came to plant with them and was literally covered with mud during the morning mangrove exercise.

Spotlight: Rendezvous with Trees

The IFC Jakarta had their first ‘Rendezvous with trees’ event on Sunday morning, March 9, 2008. Together with partners from the City Arborist Office of Jakarta, friends and families, IFC Jakarta planted 1,100 various tree and flowery shrub seedlings on a green belt area on a riverbank. After having lots of fun planting trees, IFC Jakarta volunteers learned about the bio-pore system to manage household organic waste and paper recycling practices, which can be applied at work and at home. “I never imagined that planting trees would be that fun. My kids now plan to arrange similar event with their schoolmates,” said Rudy Prasetya, Associate Operations Officer at IFC Jakarta.

Spotlight: Volunteering to make a difference in the communities where we work

In Russia, an IFC program helps young people who are orphans gain job skills through paid internships with private companies. Today 30 private companies are participating, two of which have become donors to the effort as part of a commitment to corporate social responsibility. Through fiscal year 2007, 114 of 140 interns had secured permanent jobs, and 38 had entered universities to continue their education. As part of their retreat, IFC's Africa Department built part of the Syanalumba Basic School's library in Africa. In addition, they coordinated a very successful book drive — donating over 150 books.