Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC)
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Kenya’s Council of Governors adopts the CAP YEI and F2F youth access to finance and workforce development interventions in all 47 counties
In March 2023, the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Kenya program and Community and Progress Youth Empowerment Institute (CAP YEI) achieved a significant milestone: the Government of Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CAP YEI to replicate the youth agriculture and agri-enterprise technical…
IESC is pleased to share its 2020 Annual Report. During an extremely challenging year due to COVID-19, we are proud of the difference we made and the significant progress our programs achieved toward our mission of improving lives, creating jobs, and helping enterprises grow. We hope you will enjoy reading about the results we achieved and the lasting impact we made for communities around the world.
With the support of our dedicated staff,…
read moreIESC is pleased to share its 2019 Annual Report. This report showcases some of the many ways IESC is improving the lives of people, families, and communities around the world. It includes examples of how our programs are bolstering small and growing businesses, creating meaningful employment, and supporting entrepreneurs and workers around the world. It also illustrates the ways in which we are expanding international trade, increasing food…
read moreNew Ideas and Industry Expertise Improve Vegetable Sales from Dominican Republic
It is not easy to be an exporter of any product, but exporting fresh produce carries higher inherent risks. In the Dominican Republic, the Asian Vegetable Producer Association (ASAGEN) encountered a steep learning curve when they started their business in 2013. Out of their first 19 shipments, 13 were rejected at their destination because mismanagement of the cold…
IESC F2F Volunteer Supports Linking Tanzanian Smallholder Farmers to New and Profitable Markets
Even with irrigation systems and agricultural training provided by organizations like Agronomos Sin Fronteras Foundation (ASFF), Mboga na Matunda (MnM), a USAID-funded project, and the Tanzanian government, farmers in the Mufindi district of Tanzania still struggled to find buyers for their produce. This struggle led the farmers to lose money and…
Entrepreneurs reading the business license roadmap at the Iringa town marketplace
Entrepreneurs from the Tanzanian city of Iringa expressed their appreciation for the newly improved, transparent, and streamlined process for officially registering their businesses. With the assistance of the USAID Feed the Future Tanzania Enabling Growth through Investment and Enterprise (ENGINE) Program, the Iringa Municipal Council reviewed and…
read moreIn 2018, the USAID-funded YouLead Project supported the creation of a Tourism Skills Committee (TSC). The TSC is a private-sector collaboration devoted to developing Sri Lanka’s tourism workforce to support the tourism industry and the country’s growth as a world class tourist destination. It has proven to be a proactive, professional advocate for the tourism industry, ready to respond to a range of challenges.
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read moreIESC is pleased to share its 2018 Annual Report, which highlights some of the many ways IESC is improving quality of life for people, families, and communities across the globe. It includes examples of how our programs are creating jobs, supporting entrepreneurs, and fostering enterprise growth globally. It also shares how IESC’s programs are improving food security, improving the enabling environment for private sector growth, creating market…
read moreF2F MENA volunteers team up to support a mission-driven environmental organization
Green Hand Organization (GHO) in Lebanon is one of only ten United Nations accredited environmental organizations in the Arab world. GHO was founded with the mission of preserving Lebanon’s extraordinary biodiversity. With this mission, GHO is constantly expanding its portfolio and taking on new cultural preservation and youth engagement-focused initiatives….
June 20, 2017 – Just as VEGA’s Leader with Associate Award through USAID was set to expire on June 9, 2017, USAID renewed it for another three months and adding $7.5 million to an unused ceiling of $19 million.
VEGA, of which IESC is a lead member, has been working for several months to educate members of Congress and the new administration about the extraordinary impact being made by skilled volunteers around the globe and here at…
read moreJune 16, 2017 – IESC will implement a new four-year program in Sri Lanka to improve technical and vocational training and increase the employability of young people in Sri Lanka.
Every year, nearly 300,000 Sri Lankans leave secondary school without a degree or with a degree but not admitted to a university. The country recognizes the need to develop a skilled workforce in order to address the resulting 20 percent youth unemployment.
Under…
read moreJune 8, 2017
This month, IESC celebrates 53 years of bringing private sector solutions to sustainble economic development. IESC’s longevity and success are made possible because of our people. Every year, we recognize employees and volunteers whose dedication and service have truly made an impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the world. Last month, IESC presented its annual awards at our triannual board meeting in…
read moreMarch 21, 2017 — IESC remembers our founder and first chairperson (1964-1968) David Rockefeller, who died yesterday, March 20, at the age of 101.
“We are inspired by David Rockefeller’s legacy and guided by his belief that harnessing the American spirit of volunteerism and the power of business expertise could move people out of poverty and make countries stronger and more resilient,” said Tom Miller, president and CEO of…
read more Nii Doodo Dodoo
Project Country Director, Ghana Improving Food Safety Systems Project
How long have you been involved with IESC’
Since June 2016
What aspect of your job do you enjoy the most’
Creating an environment that motivates staff to go the extra mile. I am constantly on the lookout for factors that demotivate staff so I can attend to them. I therefore try to keep…
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Sanogo Diarra owns a company that employs 22 women from her neighborhood.
Sanogo Diarra’s fruit processing company has created good jobs for women in her community
It was 2009, and Sanogo Diarra saw that women in her neighborhood needed jobs. More than that, they wanted jobs. And she wanted to help them. In Mali’s capital city of Bamako, she founded a company that processes dried fruits and vegetables.
With her…
read moreAugust 19, 2016
IESC—International Executive Service Corps—is delighted to host Stélvia Conceição José Agostinho of Angola as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program.
Stélvia, who is from Angola’s capital city of…
read moreAugust 11, 2016
When IESC turned 50 in 2014, we decided to take some time to reflect and to make some changes, starting with our mission, vision, and statement of values, moving on to an updated logo and tagline, and soon, this website.
A lot of things are different from that day when David Rockefeller and others gathered with President Johnson in the White House Rose Garden to announce the launch of the International Executive…
read moreThe Agency for Economic Development and and Empowerment has submitted its final report of the “Feasibility Study and Strategic Business Plan for the Proposed National Business Development And Advisory Center” to the IBEX Program.
Read the full report here.
read moreUSAID and Afriland First Bank sign agreement to increase agricultural lending in Liberia
From left: Hamadou Bayo (Afriland), Watchen Bruce (IBEX Program), and Anthony Chan (USAID).MONROVIA — November 2, 2015 – In a signing ceremony on Tuesday, October 13, at the Mamba Point Hotel, representatives from the USAID mission in Liberia and Afriland First Bank Liberia…
read moreOctober 8, 2015
WASHINGTON–For five days in October, students at Beijing Foreign Studies University will receive intensive, practical training in conflict resolution from a retired U.S. ambassador and a social worker professor with expertise in post-conflict countries, as part of volunteer program from the International Executive Service Corps, or IESC.
This assignment represents the start of a new phase of engagement in IESC’s China…
read moreOctober 2, 2015 – This case study describes the impact of a small and medium enterprise development project on Tunisia’s organics sector. The USAID-funded Tunisia SME Project was designed to strengthen Tunisia’s economic competitiveness and prospects for sustained growth by promoting greater SME involvement in trade and investment related activities….
read moreJuly 7, 2015
This case study highlights the experiences of nine Lebanese microfinance institutions who partnered with the Lebanon Investment in Microfinance Program (2009-2015) to improve women’s access to finance in Lebanon. Funded by USAID through the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance, the program worked to increase sales, create jobs,…
read moreBEIRUT, LEBANON – March 17, 2015 – On January 12, Lebanon’s Ministry of Interior and Municipalities officially approved the creation of the…
read moreYou can’t have a real impact unless you’re willing to fail. Our CEO Tom Miller talks about the importance of taking risks during this interview on Focus Washington. Read more…
read more“Congratulations, IESC! Although I am very proud to have worked for IESC for almost 20 years, I am especially proud of the many ways our experts contributed to the growth of private enterprises and emerging democracies all over the world and in all kinds of circumstances. Intrepid IESC volunteers traveled to the former Soviet bloc countries even before the wall fell. Later, one defense conversion project for a former state-owned Soviet company…
read more“Since its inception, the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) and IESC have collaborated closely on twelve programs that continue to improve people’s lives around the world. Through our mechanism, IESC sent 496 highly skilled volunteers to work on overseas projects and created 17,650 jobs for people in developing countries. We share a strong commitment to international volunteerism and honor many of IESC’s volunteers for their…
read more“My deepest congratulations to the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) celebrating its 50th Anniversary. IESC was created by world-renowned entrepreneurs, philanthropists and diplomats led by David Rockefeller and Ambassador Sol Linowitz in order to effectively transfer portions of the huge capacity of technology and Senior Executive expertise to lesser-developed countries. IESC promoted this transfer primarily to the private sectors of…
read more“As the President’s Chief of Protocol and Personal Ambassador under the President Johnson Administration, I have been following IESC’s success with great interest over the last 50 years. President Johnson was very clear when he announced the establishment of IESC in the Rose Garden of the White House in 1964 that, not only would the practical skills and experience of America’s finest entrepreneurs be of enormous benefit to developing nations,…
read more“Congratulations to the International Executive Services Corps as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. As an early teen in 1964 I was inspired by the ideals of the Peace Corps but unable to act on my ambition to serve. The notion however sat latent through the course of my education, military service and then 31 years of corporate life, most of which took place in developing and emerging countries. Here I saw the need for better organization…
read more“For fifty years, IESC has been a friend and partner of USAID, bringing American ingenuity and expertise to bear on the greatest challenges in development. We appreciate and value your partnership, as we work together to end extreme poverty by strengthening local institutions and promoting economic growth.”
read more“I am delighted ‘ both personally and professionally – that IESC has reached such a prestigious milestone. From a professional view, I am very happy to acknowledge that, with USAID’s support, IESC has improved the lives of so many people ‘ entrepreneurs and small business owners ‘ around the world. From a personal perspective, I am hugely proud of IESC’s achievements. As a former Country Director of IESC’s projects in Kazakhstan, I have seen…
read more“I congratulate IESC as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. Over that time, our company has helped build new businesses in some 130 developing countries and created over 1 million new jobs around the globe. I had the honor of serving as the Chairman of the Board for over a decade. During that time, I was privileged to see tremendous growth and transformation in IESC. It was founded as an organization to mobilize executive volunteers from…
read more“For 50 years, IESC’s volunteers and professional consultants have provided much needed perspective and guidance to businesses around the world that need support. The international market for food exports is just one example of an industry that undergoes constant and rapid regulatory change. Without the kind of technical and managerial advice that IESC offers, exporters in the developing world risk being left behind. IESC helps to bring…
read more“I congratulate the International Executive Service Corps on its 50th anniversary. I recall the words that President Johnson spoke in the Rose Garden of the White House in 1964 when he announced the establishment of IESC. He said ‘the preservation of the free world may well depend on our success in seeing economic development succeed.’ I think that is as true today as it was 50 years ago, and so I urge IESC to…
read more“I am pleased to congratulate the International Executive Service Corps on its 50th anniversary. As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I appreciate the significant value that IESC has brought to budding entrepreneurs throughout the world. The men and women of IESC, many of them volunteers, have played crucial roles: helping the emerging Latin American economies of the 1980s; promoting free enterprise in the former Soviet…
read more“Congratulations to the Board, the volunteers, and all the staff – past and present – of International Executive Service Corps on reaching your 50th anniversary. This is a tremendous achievement, of which IESC and all Americans should be very proud. IESC has come a long way from its humble beginnings in Connecticut in 1964, when David Rockefeller first came up with the idea of sending American entrepreneurs to developing countries to share their…
read more“As I prepare to take office as AARP President next month, I want to take this opportunity to offer my warmest congratulations to IESC on your 50th anniversary. We applaud IESC for pioneering the concept and leading the way in mobilizing veteran business executives to volunteer their time and valuable experience throughout the developing world. AARP is very proud of the partnership we recently launched with IESC and the Government of China to…
read more“As a Special Assistant at the White House during the 1960s, I know how important it was to President Johnson that an American organization be created that offered technical advice and hands-on practical support to entrepreneurs and small businesses in developing countries, not only to help the growth of prosperity where it was needed most but to win friends around the world at a time of significant international tension. I congratulate…
read more‘The establishment of the International Executive Service Corps in 1964 came when an anxious world was divided by a Cold War between conflicting philosophies: the capitalism of the West and the communist economies of the Soviet Union. Despite the dynamic changes that have taken place over the past 50 years, IESC has remained unwavering in its belief that private enterprise builds political stability, prosperous communities and sustainable…
read more“In 1964, when my father, President Lyndon Johnson, launched the International Executive Service Corps in the Rose Garden of the White House, I was college student. But, I knew then how strongly Daddy felt about spreading the word of the benefits to society of free enterprise and entrepreneurship. The contribution that IESC has made to the prosperity and stability of developing nations is truly significant, and I applaud the men and women – both…
read more“The Pace family is honored to be part of this commemoration of IESC’s history on behalf of my father, Frank Pace, Jr. His role as one of the founders and then president of IESC was one of his most proud achievements in his later years. IESC became a channel for my father’s idealism and talent, an opportunity to “give back”, which was enormously important to him. Having spent time in both government and business, he envisioned a partnership that…
read more“My father and David Rockefeller founded IESC in 1964 when I was a teenager. I remember my father’s passion for the project; “Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” was one of his favorite quotations. As a teenager, my interest in my father’s professional pursuits was very limited. Fifty years later, as I achieve senior status myself, I understand my father’s conviction that senior American business leaders have wisdom and…
read more“The Fiftieth Anniversary of the International. Executive Service Corps is an event that deserves celebration. You and your colleagues and many predecessors have contributed to the improvement of people’s lives around the world in ways that have often not received the real recognition they deserve. I am proud to have been part of your impressive history. The small group that met with President Lyndon Baines Johnson in the Rose Garden fifty years…
read moreOn March 31, IBEX Chief of Party Watchen Bruce presented at a USAID Sponsored Clean Energy Lending Toolkit Workshop. Eighteen representatives from International Bank (IB) and EcoBank participated in the training. The Clean Energy Toolkit developed by the Analysis and Investment for Low-Emission Growth (AILEG) Project is addressing the lack of clean energy lending in the financial sector. Read more…
read moreFor Immediate Release:
IESC’s Innovative BizAIDS Africa Program Reaches 10th Anniversary
Helping Thousands of SMEs in Sub Saharan Africa to Cope with the Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS
WASHINGTON DC, February 14, 2014: International Executive Service Corps (IESC) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its successful BizAIDS program, set up in southern Africa in 2004 to help small businesses, their owners, families and local…
read moreMy assignment was to provide assistance to business associations in order to help them develop advocacy skills as part of IESC’s Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Support Project in the Republic of Georgia. I met with the officials in Tbilisi and then went to the regions outside the capital. Before my arrival, Mr. Saba Sarishvili, SME Development Manager, sent guidance to help me prepare. One piece of advice was not clear at…
read more Consultant Rick Hibberd (on the right)
at The London Tourism Show
My IESC project in Armenia included branding their first tourism campaign with logo and slogan “Armenia: Timeless ‘Undiscovered” and creating exhibits for International Tourism Bourse 2000, Berlin’s mammoth trade show, later London’s World Travel Mart. I also designed a tourist information center opposite Yerevan’s lively vernissage* for…
read moreVolunteer Donna Howard
The Armenians are extremely hospitable. Their phrase for hospitality is “to love our guest.” At every NGO I visited, I was offered tea or coffee, and I usually accept tea. Tea is a ritual in Armenia, which, I realize now, includes a nice cloth or scarf placed on the table, the loveliest cups or glasses one has, and a plate of cookies or candy at the most humble of locations. No…
read moreRussian teatime
Shortly after Perestroika, in 1996, IESC sent us to Vladimir, Russia. From American television we had the idea that Russians are rather cold and distant people who seldom smiled. However, during our time in Russia we discovered their warmth and hospitality. The project was a huge success and we made life-long friends.
At that time, business was mostly done on the barter system. The…
read moreI am afraid I do not have a specific anecdote or photo/video clip about my experience with IESC but perhaps I have a unique story that might be of interest.
IESC Volunteer Albert E. Koehl (died in 1970)
In 1964, my father Albert E. Koehl read a story by James Reston in the New York Times about a proposed new international volunteer organization for experienced business people. He doggedly tried to contact…
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