In September 2007, Cisco made a four-year, $10 million commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative to alleviate poverty in five Sub-Saharan African countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Cisco and our NGO partners Habitat for Humanity, Inveneo, One Global Economy, and Teachers Without Borders have focused on providing affordable housing, community connectivity, online content and tools, and hands-on training.

Habitat for Humanity plans to serve 278 low-income families by providing them with decent shelter, basic homeowner education, and community leadership training over the next four years. As of July 2008, home construction had begun in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria.

Inveneo will provide low-cost, end-user computing and networking solutions through its Inveneo Certified ICT Partners (ICIPs) model with the objective of increasing network access and promoting local employment in rural communities. To date, 22 ICIPs have been trained and six ICIPs have implemented or assisted with nine projects that have impacted 22 communities. Some 30,000 people will be able to benefit from improved education, healthcare, relief, microfinance, and other critical services.

One Global Economy will extend its Beehive portal to provide low-income people with accessible and easy-to-understand tools and information on a wide variety of topics, including money, health, education, jobs and careers, family, and starting a business. Project blueprints for the Ethiopia and Rwanda Beehives are to be completed by the end of 2008.

Teachers Without Borders will concentrate on supporting the professional development and practice of teacher leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa through online tools, courses, certifications, conferences, and teaching and learning centers. As of July 2008, the organization has achieved a number of milestones, including the revamping of its courseware and enabling partner access and real-time translation of content. Eighty teachers have been trained in Nigeria as part of the Millennium Development Initiative, a Teachers Without Borders program that brings together a global alliance of local educators and institutions dedicated to realizing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

See a video about Inveneo: www.cisco.com/web/about/citizenship/socio-economic/specialprograms/index.html

See a video about Teachers Without Borders: www.cisco.com/web/about/citizenship/index.html