Growing up in the heart of Madesh Province in Nepal, Aarati Patel witnessed first-hand the harsh realities that many women and girls in my community face daily. Hear how she's supporting girls in Nepal to find their voice and create a world where every girl has the freedom to choose her own path. 

In Rwanda, 2023 saw over 22,000 teenage pregnancies nationwide, alongside a concerning rise in HIV/AIDS cases among young people. VSO's Safe Space is a community gathering platform, where young people from neighbouring villages meet on a weekly basis.

David Atherton volunteered with VSO in Malawi training nurses and midwives, before going on to support thousands of VSO volunteers and staff as part of our medical team.

How VSO is helping to give more babies a chance at life in Uganda.

Men and women both need to be brought on board to create a #BalanceforBetter. Our experience shows that when men are engaged, they become active allies in the struggle for gender equality, writes VSO Gender Adviser Geeta Pradhan.

Eileen’s year spent in Zambia was unforgettable. Not just because it was the first year of married life with her husband, but also for the extreme highs and lows of her stint volunteering in the children’s ward of a small rural hospital.

Gerieke Zandberg, a paediatric nurse from the Netherlands, is working to save babies’ lives at Gulu Hospital in Uganda.

Dr Siobhán Neville talks about the challenges and rewards of volunteering on a maternal and neonatal health programme in Lindi, Tanzania, and why she urges other health professionals to do the same.

Andrew Sesay is a Community Health Officer at Binkolo clinic, Sierra Leone. He’s often the first point of call for the thousands of people living in the community. 

Newborn deaths and infection rates have plummeted since VSO opened this intensive care unit in northern Uganda three months ago.