Since 2005, Ford Fund has mobilized employees to design volunteer projects through a month-long initiative, Global Caring Month. Each September, Global Caring Month celebrates giving back and leading positive change in local communities around the world. Ford employees' commitment to volunteering during Global Caring Month shows what is possible when individuals and organizations come together with a shared purpose.
Joining Together in Action
"Ford employees have a heart for service. Giving back during Global Caring Month is an annual tradition that unites us around the world, allowing us to make a lasting impact in the communities where we live and work. We anticipate the largest in-person volunteer turnout for our global projects since the pandemic," says Joe Provenzano, Mobility and Volunteer Engagement Director at the Ford Fund.
Ford Fund has invested $830,000 across 31 countries this year, supporting 85 Ford employee-nominated nonprofits. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, Ford employee volunteers will collaborate with local nonprofits making a difference in their communities while addressing the issues they care about the most.
This year's recipients include organizations like TECHO Peru, a nonprofit group that responds to disaster situations and mobilizes volunteers to help fight poverty in Latin America. During Global Caring Month, Ford volunteers will assist TECHO Peru by installing directional signs to identify evacuation routes and safety zones during natural disasters.
Other examples of employee-led projects supported during Global Caring Month 2023 include:
- Planting trees to help combat climate change and enhance natural diversity in Canada.
- Installing rainwater harvesting systems and ecological bathrooms with biodigesters at a community center in Mexico.
- A day of cleaning, furnishing and decorating to create homes for families to thrive in the United States.
- Providing STEM mentorship and skill building to youth in Puerto Rico.
- Cleaning a riverbank to improve water quality and raise environmental awareness in China.
- Conducting a financial wellness workshop for parents on income savings, budgeting and investing in the UAE
- Building a therapeutic playground dedicated to children and young people with cerebral palsy in Spain.
A Legacy of Impact
Past Global Caring Month initiatives have left a mark on countless lives. Since the program's inception, the Ford Volunteer Corps has engaged nearly 100,000 Ford employees who have used their skills, creativity, and energy on more than 2,000 community impact projects in 45+ countries.
[The impact of the Global Caring Month project] was amazing! In just a few days the project [in Brazil] went from nothing — [the building] didn't exist — to having a complete building with equipment and supplies," says Alice Quintão Soares of Ford Brasil's Responsabilidade Social team about her 2019 project building the "Mother's Sewing Room" with Lauro de Freitas - Aldeias Infantis SOS Brasil. The Ford team built a new workspace for women who have experienced abuse, enabling them to generate income and gain independence.
