VSO
VSO Headquarters Location
Registered Office 100 London Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 6QJ
Charity Registration 313757 (England and Wales).
VSO Photos
About VSO
VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. We bring key stakeholders together to co-ordinate collective action, from local organisations to national governments.
Much has changed since VSO started 60 years ago. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a global development organisation. In 2021/22, more than 3 thousand people from all over the world volunteered with VSO to deliver services to over 8 million people in the 28 countries where we work. Our programmes focus on health, education and livelihoods, emphasising resilience building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We believe progress is only possible when we work together and that strong partnerships are crucial to delivering positive change. That’s why we work with over 500 partner organisations, from local and national governments to businesses, NGOs, funders, charities and community groups. Currently, over 40% of our people are recruited from within the country where they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another.
In the last 60 years, we have worked in over 90 countries with more than 80,000 volunteers and supported over 50 million people. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a truly global development organisation. Our proven approach works with volunteers of different skillsets, from overseas consultants to youth. These volunteers work alongside community organisations, local and national governments, and global partners. Right now, VSO is bringing justice to rape survivors in Pakistan, building resilient disaster prevention and relief in Mozambique, ending stigma against children with disabilities in Ethiopia and tackling the youth skills gap in Uganda and Bangladesh.
Training the ChangemakersMuch has changed since VSO started 60 years ago. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a global development organisation. In 2021/22, more than 3 thousand people from all over the world volunteered with VSO to deliver services to over 8 million people in the 28 countries where we work. Our programmes focus on health, education and livelihoods, emphasising resilience building, social accountability, gender and social inclusion. We believe progress is only possible when we work together and that strong partnerships are crucial to delivering positive change. That’s why we work with over 500 partner organisations, from local and national governments to businesses, NGOs, funders, charities and community groups. Currently, over 40% of our people are recruited from within the country where they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another.
In the last 60 years, we have worked in over 90 countries with more than 80,000 volunteers and supported over 50 million people. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a truly global development organisation. Our proven approach works with volunteers of different skillsets, from overseas consultants to youth. These volunteers work alongside community organisations, local and national governments, and global partners. Right now, VSO is bringing justice to rape survivors in Pakistan, building resilient disaster prevention and relief in Mozambique, ending stigma against children with disabilities in Ethiopia and tackling the youth skills gap in Uganda and Bangladesh.
The answers to poverty, inequality and discrimination are already out there. They are the Changemakers- the people who have the power and agency to transform their own lives. What's more, when they pass their training on, its impact will grow and grow. Together, they will change the world for the better.
VSO Impact in NepalVSO has worked with volunteers to create a fairer world in Nepal since 1964. From tackling child marriage to getting more girls into education, here's a look at some of our projects and volunteers work.
Reaching the Island | Busting sexual health taboos in Zambia | VSO documentaryAmidst rampant teenage pregnancy and disease, watch how one community came together to tackle sexual health taboos in this short film.
"They thought we were promoting promiscuity, just by distributing condoms," says VSO volunteer Monica Atim. "Sex is not something that is discussed openly in our African culture."
But that taboo around sex, especially for young people, was creating big problems on the island of Mbabala, a remote home to 2,000 people in Zambia's immense Lake Bangweulu. The silence around sex bred dangerous misinformation - such as the mistaken belief that contraceptives cause cancer.
Find out what happened when a development project tackled the issue head-on.
About the project:
According to UNICEF, three in ten young Zambian women in rural areas aged 13-19 have begun childbearing: that is, they have given birth already or are currently pregnant with their first child.
Teenage pregnancy statistics stand at 29 percent with about 16,000 of adolescent girls dropping out of school as a result of pregnancy.
VSO with partners including Planned Parenthood Association Zambia (PPAZ), Big Lottery Fund and the Zambian Ministry of Health delivered the three-year Adolescent TALK! project from October 2015. It was implemented in four wards of Samfya District, in the Luapula Province of Zambia. This project aimed at enhancing the Sexual Reproductive Health Services and practices for 7,949 girls and boys aged 10 to 19 years and ensuring young people are better informed, empowered and equipped to make healthy decisions about their health.
The impacts of the project include reduced incidence of teenage pregnancies, uptake of contraceptives and enhanced sexual health knowledge.
Tackling gender inequality in farming communities in Nigeria"They thought we were promoting promiscuity, just by distributing condoms," says VSO volunteer Monica Atim. "Sex is not something that is discussed openly in our African culture."
But that taboo around sex, especially for young people, was creating big problems on the island of Mbabala, a remote home to 2,000 people in Zambia's immense Lake Bangweulu. The silence around sex bred dangerous misinformation - such as the mistaken belief that contraceptives cause cancer.
Find out what happened when a development project tackled the issue head-on.
About the project:
According to UNICEF, three in ten young Zambian women in rural areas aged 13-19 have begun childbearing: that is, they have given birth already or are currently pregnant with their first child.
Teenage pregnancy statistics stand at 29 percent with about 16,000 of adolescent girls dropping out of school as a result of pregnancy.
VSO with partners including Planned Parenthood Association Zambia (PPAZ), Big Lottery Fund and the Zambian Ministry of Health delivered the three-year Adolescent TALK! project from October 2015. It was implemented in four wards of Samfya District, in the Luapula Province of Zambia. This project aimed at enhancing the Sexual Reproductive Health Services and practices for 7,949 girls and boys aged 10 to 19 years and ensuring young people are better informed, empowered and equipped to make healthy decisions about their health.
The impacts of the project include reduced incidence of teenage pregnancies, uptake of contraceptives and enhanced sexual health knowledge.
Through our Improving Market Access for the poor project, we are training women in farming and agriculture techniques and financial literacy to empower women.
Unlocking Talent Through Technology in MalawiImproving the quality of primary school education for children in Malawi through education technology.
Children in participating schools learn through apps installed on tablets, in solar powered Learning Centres.
Unlocking Talent is an initiative by VSO Malawi, in partnership with onebillion (non-profit software development), University of Nottingham, University of Malawi, Imagine Worldwide and Airtel Malawi, with funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Malawi, the Government of Scotland, Comic Relief, FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) and UNICEF.
Responding to COVID-19 in PakistanChildren in participating schools learn through apps installed on tablets, in solar powered Learning Centres.
Unlocking Talent is an initiative by VSO Malawi, in partnership with onebillion (non-profit software development), University of Nottingham, University of Malawi, Imagine Worldwide and Airtel Malawi, with funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Malawi, the Government of Scotland, Comic Relief, FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) and UNICEF.
VSO volunteers and primary actors share how VSO Pakistan is responding to COVID-19 on the ground.
Find out more about our response to COVID-19: https://www.vsointernational.org/COVID-19
TabuFind out more about our response to COVID-19: https://www.vsointernational.org/COVID-19
In a unique initiative, the story was adapted from the testimony of young women gathered by VSO and filmed in the streets, homes, and schools of Lindi, southern Tanzania, by a cast and crew of volunteers including teachers, students, bus drivers, and an entire village. Only the director had any professional experience in filmmaking.
The difference you've madeIn 2020, VSO volunteers and supporters helped us reach 15 million people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's a look at how volunteers created an impact around the world.
Find out more: https://www.vsointernational.org/
Delivering Inclusive education through mentoring in NepalHere's a look at how volunteers created an impact around the world.
Find out more: https://www.vsointernational.org/
Our Sisters for Sisters project is helping get some of Nepal's most vulnerable girls into education.
Meet the answer to forced child marriageIn Nepal, girls as young as 12 are forced into marriage.
Poverty means that girls’ education is not seen as worthwhile and, sadly, many parents think marriage is their daughter’s only option.
But there is an answer...
Visit www.vsointernational.org/train-for-girls to find out more.
Poverty means that girls’ education is not seen as worthwhile and, sadly, many parents think marriage is their daughter’s only option.
But there is an answer...
Visit www.vsointernational.org/train-for-girls to find out more.
Number of Employees in VSO
201 to 500
VSO Revenue
R250m to R1bn
Industry