Based in United Kingdom

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

A Non-profit

How This Works

As part of the TRANSFORM Support Hub, you will learn how to advance your career while getting hands on experience with organizations like this one.

Organization Details

VSO is the world's leading international development non-profit organization that recruits experienced, professional volunteers to work abroad to help create long-lasting change. VSO supports more than 100 volunteering programmes in 24 countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific focusing on delivering long-term change in the areas of education, health, and livelihoods. Efforts are organized within maternal and newborn health, adolescent and youth sexual health, inclusive education, agri-based value chains, youth employment, and enterprise. Duration of volunteering placements varies, ranging from 6 months to 2 years. All travel, vaccinations, expenses, and accommodation paid for by VSO.

Impact Story

Education

VSO works to improve education for children, especially the most marginalised in society. We do this by developing teachers’ skills, improving education management and increasing community support for education.

·         In 2017/18 our education programmes helped support over 300,000 people across 15 countries.

·         In Malawi, we saw a 45% improvement in learning gains of children through the Unlocking through Technology project.

Health

VSO works with health workers, communities and governments to improve health services, focusing on the areas of maternal and newborn health, and adolescent and youth sexual health and rights. Last year our health programmes helped over 900, 000 people in 14 countries access the quality health care they deserve.

·         Thanks to a project in Tanzania, newborn deaths have dropped by 37% in Mtwara and Lindi regions since 2013.

·         In Ethiopia, neonatal deaths reduced by 40% thanks to VSO volunteers setting up neonatal intensive care units in key hospitals.

 Livelihoods

VSO programmes help people live in dignity and security, with better skills, income and fairer access to markets. VSO improves the employability of young people through education and vocational training, and by working with businesses to create more jobs.

We work with partners ranging from farmers’ cooperatives facing the threat of climate change in Malawi, to government departments improving their support to small businesses in Tanzania.

·         Last year VSO supported 115,000 people in 14 countries through its educational, vocational and management programmes. 

·         Our Growing Together programme supports the livelihoods of farming communities in northern Bangladesh. Over two thirds

of farmers in the Mithapuker region, who have diversified crops as part of Growing Together, report increases of net income by an average of 300% over the past two years.