VSO: An overview

"We have found that voluntary organisations like VSO are indispensable partners in our work. VSO is a model part of what we now call Global Civil Society."
Kofi Annan – Secretary General United Nations

VSO is the largest independent charity in the world, working through volunteers. We work in over 30 countries in the poorest regions of the world.

Instead of sending money, food or clothes, we send people from a range of professions who want to make a difference.

VSO volunteers work in six specific areas: HIV and AIDS, disability, participation and governance, secure livelihoods, education, health and well-being.

Volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, countries and ages. We recruit volunteers from 6 bases: the UK, Canada, India, the Netherlands, Kenya and the Philippines.

Volunteers work in the most disadvantaged countries in the world, sharing their professional skills and experience with local people.

We respond to demands from our partnership local government agencies, non-governmental organisations and local community organisations.

"In my job I often find myself crying out for something that's positive – that shows a better side to humanity and gives small grounds for hope. I really feel I found that during the visit I paid to the VSO programme in Mindanao in the Philippines".

John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor, visited a VSO project on the island of Mindanao, Philippines in July 2003. VSO volunteers worked alongside members of the Christian and Muslim communities supporting them to bring an end to a bloody conflict and work together for a peaceful future.