Blog

When Ebola reached Nengbema village in 2015, the entire community was quarantined. Foday Lansana volunteered to become the local well mechanic and ensure his community had access to fresh water.

Rebecca Clark, a deputy head teacher from inner-city London, swapped the concrete jungle for greener pastures in the leafy district of Rusizi, Rwanda. She spent two years volunteering on a project supporting the development of education leadership across thirty schools.

John's lifelong ambition to volunteer abroad was realised at 60, when he was offered a three-month stint in Cambodia with VSO. 

Volunteer Giovanni is working to support farmers turn their enterprises into robust businesses. Here he talks about the experience as a whole, and the impact he sees.

VSO volunteer John Stedman was the first western teacher at Bhutan's only technical college

Elias Musabyimana was just ten years old when he survived the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis. It left him deeply traumatised - but determined to dedicate his time, skills and energy to making a better world.

A year ago we met Shapla, a 14-year-old Bangladeshi girl who used the lessons she'd learned from VSO ICS youth volunteers to convince her dad not to marry her off to a 37-year-old man. One year on, we are delighted to report that not only in Shapla still happy at school, she wants to volunteer to inspire more girls to resist child marriage.

VSO volunteers have returned to Sierra Leone after ebola and are working to rebuild health services after such a huge trauma.

On 15 November we held our first ever VSO Volunteer Awards to recognise VSO volunteers from across the globe for their outstanding contribution to developing countries.

British volunteer Stephanie Green spent two years in Ghana working to help Shea nut processors become financially independent businesswomen. She returned earlier this year- and was delighted to see that the women are thriving, independent of VSO support.

Before VSO's project, fewer than one in three graduates were in work within two years of leaving vocational training. Now more than half are employed within six months. 

“You can only do your bit. But that’s enough” says serial volunteer Mira. She has been supporting VSO for 18 years, having set off on her first placement at the age of 63.