Galgalo outside his house

Help bring communities together to build safer, more secure lives

Creating lasting change by unlocking the power of people

At VSO we harness the skills and expertise of volunteers to deliver long lasting change. We put people first and empower them to be in the driving seat of their own development. Our volunteers work in collaboration with marginalised communities in every aspect of project design, delivery and evaluation, enabling the world's poorest communities to take charge of their own change. 

Areas of work

Purnima at a catch up class
Suraj Shakya

Inclusive education

Making sure everyone gets the skills they need to live a fulfilled, dignified life.

We helped over 3.2 million people to access the quality education they deserve in 2022-23.

Young female farmers in Kenya
VSO/Paul Wambugu

Resilient livelihoods

Ensuring people have the skills and opportunities needed to support themselves and their families.

200,000 people benefited from our work supporting livelihoods in 2022-23.

Girls at the She Club, a safe space for girls to learn about SRHR
Chosa Mweemba

Adolescent and youth health and wellbeing

Improving health services and empowering people to exercise their right to quality care.

We helped almost 90,000 people access better healthcare in 2022-23.

The Green Perspective Podcast website homepage banner less zoom

The Green Perspective Podcast

From food security to renewable energy and green technology, VSO Climate Champions, Fridah Okomo and Cetric Mululu, are here to guide you in navigating the world of green innovation with The Green Perspective Podcast.

Join us as we interview green experts and discuss actionable solutions that help our planet and its people.  

Listen now

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Latest news

Hear stories from volunteers and communities and stay up-to-date with the latest VSO news.

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Donne Cameron and Kathryn Gordon

Co-leadership: leading for the future at VSO

We're adopting a co-leadership model at VSO, with the appointment of our new co-CEOs Donné Cameron and Kathryn Gordon.

Family walks through rain
VSO/Suraj Ratna Shakya

Unable to leave the house: the lives of ‘untouchables’

For women from the Dalit community, abuse and prejudice are even more of a reality. Dalits make up approximately 13.8% of the population in Nepal and are discriminated against based on caste and "untouchability."

Youth outside the youth friendly clinic
VSO/Brian Ngali

The determined volunteers tackling sexual taboos

Millions of people worldwide experience barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services. Meet two youth volunteers from Kenya who are helping to change this narrative by working with young and marginalised people to promote sexual and reproductive rights..

Our impact

In 2022-23, VSO reached 10.9 million people, nearly 7.4 million indirectly and over 3.5 million directly.

Find out more in our annual impact report

3.2m

Over 3.2 million were reached through our education projects.

200,000

Almost 200,000 people were reached through our resilient livelihoods programme.

90,000

Almost 90,000 people were reached through our health projects.

87,000

Over 87,000 through our wider work on resilience, inclusion and social accountability.

Volunteering with VSO

Make an impact by sharing your skills and experience with some of the most marginalised people in the world. Become a VSO volunteer.

Browse all current opportunities

More ways you can support VSO

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Find out more about our telephone fundraising