October 14th is getting closer.  It is a Friday and I will be flying from JFK to Barat, Morocco to spend the next four weeks working with the citizens of Barat on projects important to their country (#ibmcsc morocco).

Since 2008, IBM’s Corporate Service Corps program has sent teams of the company’s most talented employees to provide pro bono counsel to countries in the developing world that are grappling with issues that intersect business, technology, and society.

The initiative deploys teams of IBM employees from around the world with skills in technology, scientific research, marketing, finance, human resources, law, and economic development. As part of their assignments, they work with local government, non-profit civic groups, and small business to develop blueprints that touch issues ranging from economic development, energy and transportation, to education and health care.

Corporate Service Corps, which began operation in 2008, is considered the largest program of its kind. By the end of 2014, 3,000 IBM participants from 58 countries had participated in more than 1,000 CSC projects in 37 countries, generating more than $100 million in value for host organizations over a six-year period and has worked on services consumed by over 33 million worldwide.

IBM has partnered with a growing number of its clients on Corporate Service Corps engagements, providing client employees with experiences that have enabled them to grow their skills and improve cultural literacy. IBM has worked with companies like Dow, Novartis, Becton Dickinson, JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, Citi, Deere and FedEx.