Life changing stories

Cristina Gaspar (a monitoring & evaluation and documentation adviser) gives an insight to being a VSO volunteer, the selection process, the place, the people and the work involved in developing systems for rural development programmes in Mohuda, India.

She volunteered with a very large non-governmental organisation (NGO) with 30 years of experience in rural development in one of the poorest states of India.

Chest physician Richard Feinmann is volunteering in Uganda, where life expectancy is just 51 and over a third of the population live in poverty. Here Richard describes the challenges facing patients and why exposure to these challenges is so crucial for UK health professionals.

Child sacrifice is on the increase in Uganda. VSO volunteers are working with the African Network for Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) to ensure affected families receive counselling and legal support.  Vivien’s ten-year-old son was abducted for child sacrifice but survived. Here she tells her story.

Ros Bellamy took a break from her job in an adult learning service in Wales and accepted a short-term placement working for a council in the North West Province of Cameroon. Here she tells all – from what made her volunteer to why the experience has given her a real boost of energy!

Primary teacher Caroline received support from her school when she decided to volunteer abroad with VSO in northern Malawi. Here she describes her voluntary work the warmth and generosity of her colleagues and neighbours and her sometimes very muddy commute to work...

Across South Africa there are thousands of disadvantaged and vulnerable children who leave school at a young age and miss out on their right to an education. Others become vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and sex trafficking. However, VSO and local partner SCORE aim to tackle these problems through sport and are helping many at risk children on their way to a better future. One girl is NomFundo Ndlovu who has discovered her two passions in life, education and football. 

When Nick Palfreyman found out that less than 20 per cent of deaf children in developing countries go to school, he knew he had to act. Within months he was sharing his skills and knowledge as a volunteer in Indonesia. Now back in the UK, Nick’s life has changed direction forever.

"The Lady Mechanic Initiative"? It sounds like something out of a quirky novel. But it’s not a work of fiction: it’s real and it’s changing the lives of disadvantaged women all over Nigeria. VSO volunteer Russell McKeown is drawing on 25 years’ experience in engineering and business to help The Lady Mechanic Initiative go from strength to strength.

Ahead of South Africa’s World Cup, VSO volunteer, Clare Barrell, 26, from Hertfordshire has spent the last two years working with local charity SCORE, helping vulnerable children find a better future through the power of sport. Here she gives an insight into the life of a volunteer in the run up to Africa’s first ever World Cup.

Having spent most of her career working in the Third Sector, Catherine Mahoney was always interested in volunteering abroad. But it wasn’t until she’d given up her full-time job – and become a Grandma! – that the time was right for her to volunteer.

The Lady Mechanic Initiative? It sounds like something out of a quirky novel. But it’s not a work of fiction: it’s changing the lives of disadvantaged women all over Nigeria. VSO volunteer Russell McKeown is drawing on 25 years’ experience in engineering to help the project succeed.

Tony Baldry was one of 11 MPs who volunteered with VSO’s Parliamentarian Volunteering Project, an innovative new scheme enabling MPs and Peers to share their skills with disadvantaged communities in ten of the world’s poorest countries. Here Tony describes his experiences of mentoring Dalit MPs in Nepal. 

South Africa is home to over a thousand informal settlements; communities with limited resources, sanitation and formalised welfare. Children often suffer within these communities and miss out on an education. VSO volunteer Mary Njuguna is working with local organisation Children on the Move to help get children back into school and enjoying life again. 

Malaria is the world’s biggest killer: someone dies of it every 30 seconds. In Uganda many people living in rural villages can’t afford to pay for transport to get to hospital, so they don’t get drugs and they die. That’s why the work VSO nurse Pam Llewellyn is doing in Miirya sub-county is so vital: she is training village volunteers in malaria prevention so that they can help their communities to combat the disease. 

Cambodia has some of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates in South East Asia, and malnutrition is rife.  As part of VSO Cambodia’s maternal and child health programme, volunteer nurses are coordinating cookery demonstrations that teach mothers how to make simple, nutritious meals that will help their children to thrive.

Sixty-seven year old SEN teacher Meg Mansfield is currently volunteering with VSO on the Thai-Burma border.  Here, children with disabilities are extremely vulnerable: they can’t access education and live isolated lives with little social contact.  But Meg is helping to change this.  Through her work at The Star Flower Centre, she is building brighter futures for the Thai-Burma border’s forgotten children.  Here she tells how she got involved.

On the face of it, you might not think helping to establish a new university course would make much of a difference. But the work of VSO nurse trainer Joanna Haworth could have a far-reaching effect on healthcare provision in Sierra Leone, where life expectancy sits at an average of just 42 years.

Nurses are vital components in the treatment and recovery of hospital patients. In Sierra Leone, where many hospitals lack basic supplies and equipment, even a good bedside manner can mean the difference between life and death.

Zoe Vowles spent ten years working as a midwife in the UK before deciding the time was right to take a sabbatical and volunteer with VSO. With the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, Sierra Leone was the obvious choice for her to put her skills to use. Here she recalls the highs and lows of her placement in Makeni, where she was helping to improve care for mothers in a small community hospital.

Years of conflict have made Cambodia’s healthcare system one of the weakest in the world. That’s why VSO volunteers like Dr Suzanna van Schaick are making difficult journeys into remote communities to share knowledge and advice that will save lives.

In 2003 Dave and Deb went to work in Ethiopia as VSO volunteers. In the years since, their work has touched the lives of one million children: a perfect example of the effect two committed volunteers can have in the developing world.

At 18, Susan Cross considered volunteering with VSO but didn’t have the confidence to go for it. Some 30 years on and now an experienced primary school teacher, Susan returned to VSO. Here she describes the rewards and challenges of two years spent as a volunteer in Ntchisi, Malawi.

Last summer Labour MP and former nurse Laura Moffatt spent three weeks immersed in the health system of Sierra Leone, the poorest country in the world. One year on, Laura describes the lasting effect Sierra Leone has had on her and the impact it continues to have on her work back in the UK. 

Head teacher Isabel Hodger had 36 years’ experience in education and just three years until retirement when she decided to volunteer with VSO. She’s sharing her expertise in Ethiopia, where classrooms are bursting with children due to free education, but teachers are poorly trained. Here Isabel describes how her work with teacher trainers from all corners of the country will ultimately benefit millions of school children.

VSO was thrilled when psychotherapist Stella Wragg decided to volunteer again. With the experience of her first VSO placement in Nepal, Stella is now preparing to volunteer in Sri Lanka. Her expertise will be put to excellent use improving the care available to people who are living with mental illnesses as a result of years of civil war and the 2004 Tsunami. Here she reveals her hopes and fears about her upcoming placement.

In the 1960s Simon Marchant was a schoolboy in Somerset watching a film about VSO. Some forty years on he could be starring in that film: he’s now a VSO education adviser in Ethiopia, sharing skills and expertise that will transform teaching in classrooms across the country.

No longer bottom of the UN Human Development Index, there are growing signs of improvement in Sierra Leone. Health manager Tim Heywood is playing a part in that. He’s volunteering there in partnership with VSO and the Welsh Assembly Government. Here Tim discusses the challenges of working outside his comfort zone and some of the surprises and rewards of his placement.

Nurse Susan Newson had always wanted to volunteer, and after working as a health visitor in the UK she felt the time was right to apply to VSO. She’s putting her skills to good use in Cambodia, a country with some of the highest maternal and neonatal death rates in South East Asia. Here, halfway through her two year placement, Susan describes her work and why she thinks VSO’s approach to fighting to poverty is so powerful.

Nigeria has the second highest HIV and AIDS infection rate in the world. That’s why Youth for Development volunteer Heather Alcock is there, working with a community organisation in Lagos that provides care and support for people affected by HIV and AIDS.

At 18, Susan Cross considered volunteering with VSO but didn’t have the confidence to go for it. Some 30 years on and now an experienced primary school teacher, Susan returned to VSO. Here she describes the rewards and challenges of two years spent as a volunteer in Ntchisi, Malawi.

Tired of endless paperwork and feeling unfulfilled, Mark Sidey decided to leave his East Sussex primary school to volunteer with VSO in Ethiopia. By improving teaching methods and introducing a professional development programme, Mark transformed life in the classroom for teachers and thousands of children.

Nigeria is a country often viewed as corrupt, so VSO volunteers Martyn Fawdry and Clare Woodford were slightly nervous about moving there. But they needn’t have worried: they’ve been welcomed into a friendly and vibrant community. Here they describe their first impressions of Kaduna, the exotic food and colourful clothes, and being greeted by 150 school children singing Abba...

The Creative Self Help Centre is a community organisation in Papua New Guinea supporting people with disabilities. Youth for Development volunteer Laura Carse, who is herself visually impaired, spent a year raising awareness of the centre’s crucial work and challenging attitudes towards disability. 

Right now former head teacher Anne Massey can’t volunteer overseas with VSO – but that hasn’t stopped her from making a big difference much closer to home. Here she describes how she set up a VSO Supporter Group and raised awareness of VSO’s Help Women Help The World campaign among 500 Lincoln shoppers. 

Nicola Swann was a fundraiser for an autism charity in London before volunteering with VSO in Uganda. She’s sharing her skills and expertise in fundraising with the Uganda Society for Disabled Children, a charity that provides crucial support to disabled children and their families across the country. Here, Nicola describes the highs and lows of life in Uganda and dodging goats on her way to work…

Papua New Guinea’s mountainous terrain is so impenetrable that the entire population of the entire district of Porgera – over one million people – did not make contact with the developed world until 1938. Imagine, then, the obstacles faced by disabled people who live there. VSO physiotherapist Edd Shaw talks about his role in improving their mobility, including distributing over 300 wheelchairs.

After 14 years as a head teacher in a Shetland primary school, Linda Davis wanted to do something different. Then she saw an ad for VSO. Within months she was on her way to Ghana with her husband Peter. By building the skills and confidence of seven Ghanaian school inspectors, Linda and Peter have improved standards in 14 schools – which means over 4,000 children get access to a better education. 

Giving something back to the community has been a life long passion for education manager Bola Ojo. Taking early retirement and volunteering with VSO International meant she could continue to contribute to the community – but this time internationally. She opted for a 12-week volunteer placement in Rwanda. At the same time as sharing valuable teaching and management skills that will help to improve standards in 126 local schools, she helped lay the foundations for a long-term volunteer to take her crucial work even further.

Primary teacher and VSO volunteer Cheryl Evans has been supporting literacy in Guyana’s primary schools for nearly two years. Here she describes the transformations she has seen in children’s reading and writing, the “heaps of new skills” she has developed as a volunteer and the sights, smells and sounds of life in Guyana.

With 30 years’ experience as a teacher and twelve years as head teacher at a large comprehensive in Plymouth, in the UK, Peter Reid has the combination of hands on classroom teaching and management experience that VSO is looking for. After retiring in 2001, he and his wife Rosemary decided to volunteer. Here Peter tells us how his skills are supporting the Ministry of Education and Sports as it prepares to offer Nepalese children a further three years of free education. 

After many years at senior management level within local government in the UK, Dave Sternberg decided to take a career break and volunteer with VSO. He spent two years working for a women’s rights organisation based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Here he describes how he developed his colleagues’ management skills and in doing so enhanced some of his own.

Tourists flock to Zanzibar each year, but the money they spend has little impact on the lives of the majority of the population. A new project run by VSO is helping an association of farmers to build better links with the thriving tourist sector, and to earn a far higher income from their crops.

Former recruitment worker Matt Strickland has swapped his Leicester office for a tea estate in Malawi. We find out how his hard work is enabling a group of small-holder farmers to benefit from Fairtrade certification, and in so doing is improving the lives of some 2,000 people.

Whilst 19 out of every 20 children in Rwanda are now completing their primary education, severe poverty and old-fashioned teaching methods mean many do not reach their full potential. Which is why VSO volunteer Melanie Pearson is helping improve teaching methods in 76 schools across the south of the country.

In Tajikistan many workers move to Russia in search of work and better opportunities. In the northern town of Khojand, VSO is piloting a programme of partnering with private businesses to provide opportunities for the local community. One such partnership includes Mr Mirzosulton and his dairy farm, Correct.

Twenty three year old Abass Koroma was just eight years old when the civil war in Sierra Leone began in 1992. During the next ten years he missed out on going to school. But five years after the war ended, and with support from VSO partner CCYA, he is part of a flourishing village enterprise.

Martijn Whien ‘took the leap’ as he calls it. He’s been working as an organisational development advisor in Rundu, Namibia since January 2010. He works for Youth 2 Youth (Y2Y), a small non-governmental organisation (NGO) fighting HIV and AIDS.

Volunteer Sandra Scantlebury is working to get more girls into schools in the Upper West region of Ghana. Here she tells us why involving communities in education is such a crucial part of her work. 

After eight years in banking Martin Fawdry was craving a new kind of challenge. So he took a career break to volunteer abroad in rural Northern Nigeria. Here he explains how volunteering has helped him progress, both personally and professionally. 

VSO has developed a long-term strategic partnership with the Randstad Group to help it meet its corporate social responsibilities. Randstad offers its employees the opportunity to share their skills and help make a difference. Randstad volunteer Jelda Veninga worked as an HR adviser with the Ministry of Education in Runda, Namibia. Here she describes the rewards and challenges of her work.

Ellen Crabtree has swapped her life as a highflying finance executive to help vulnerable people in downtown Johannesburg at risk from HIV and AIDS. Here she tells us about a project that helps sex workers find alternative sources of income - and explains how volunteering has changed her own life, as well as the lives of those she is working with.

Boka Nyachieo, VSO Jitolee media and communications officer, describes how a VSO volunteer has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Festus Nyadimo is a VSO volunteer working abroad in the town of Ruteng, in the Manggarai province of Indonesia. Here, he describes how his voluntary work is improving infrastructure and how his volunteering has evolved to meet the challenges he faces.

Now in its second year, VSO’s Parliamentarian Volunteering Scheme saw Edmonton MP Andy Love set off for two weeks in rural Cameroon with his wife Ruth. Andy’s role involved working alongside colleagues from a local council to help them increase their support to the poorest sectors of society. Here Andy describes his motivations for volunteering and his commitment to ensuring the British government continues to make international development a priority.

Canadian volunteer Ashleigh Mitchell used information technology to help women in the Solomon Islands find their voice – and make sure they're heard.

Jeremiah Kpetaa is a teacher at Lawra Secondary School, the same school he went to as a child. Over the past four years he has worked with VSO volunteers at the District Education Office. Here he tells us how they have helped develop his teaching and leadership skills and how he is using that learning to improve the experience of education for his students.

VSO volunteer Claire Roman is leaving a lasting legacy on the Thai-Burma border, where thousands of vulnerable migrant children struggle to access a good education. The 37-year-old from Brighton, south east England, is currently drawing on 10 years’ experience in primary schools to improve the skills of migrant teachers.

Dr Olly Jefferis volunteered in Malawi through a joint scheme between the Royal College of Paediatrics and VSO. The programme is seen as professional development for doctors becoming consultants, and provides recognition for their experience when they come back to in the UK. Here Olly talks about his experience in Malawi.

In a country with just one doctor for every 62,000 people, GP Katrien Deschamps is playing a vital role in Malawi’s healthcare situation. As one of just two doctors working in a district hospital in the north of the country, she’s undertaking life-saving clinical work and at the same time passing on invaluable skills to health workers at all levels.

Management consultant in the City. Chief exec in the third sector. Table tennis extraordinaire. Now Steve Vaid is to face his toughest challenge yet: he and his wife Kristenne Pickles are off to Rwanda to volunteer with VSO. Here Steve describes his journey from an Australian bank to a VSO assessment day, his inspiring feats of fundraising and his first task in his new job: recruiting his own boss.

In Guyana, VSO is improving services for people with disabilities by strengthening the skills of local health workers. Merle Sobers works at Ptolemy Reid, a centre for children with mental and physical disabilities. She has spent the last eight months working alongside VSO volunteer Hannah Kay, the only speech and language therapist in the country.  Here Merle describes the long-term impact Hannah has had on her work.

CUSO-VSO connects experienced public servants and government advisers with opportunities to share their skills and knowledge abroad. Hugo Pellerin’s story takes us from Gatineau, Quebec, to the far north of Cameroon.

The African Development Association for Progress (ADAP) is just one of the Diaspora organisations in the UK that VSO supports to run their own volunteering programmes and raise awareness of global issues. ADAP volunteer Mariama Kamara spent one month in Ghana volunteering with local organisation Matthew 25 House. She’s now back in the UK, but her important work with them continues.   

Volunteer Stephanie Stoker uses creativity to help paint a brighter picture for the youth of Iquitos, Peru. The visual artist, who has extensive experience in theatre and arts education, is using art to help young adults develop life skills and get involved in the future development of their community. 

Memory was nine when a truck driver raped her. Four years later she discovered she was HIV positive. Initially rejected by other children, Memory courageously shared her story with them. Now 20, she is a youth ambassador helping other children to learn to live with HIV. Your support for VSO’s work has made a huge and important difference to Memory’s life and enabled her to help other children coping with traumatic circumstances.

Thanks to support from VSO, pre-primary education in Zanzibar is receiving a makeover. The old-fashioned “chalk and talk” approach once ruled - but walk into a classroom today and you’ll find children learning through participation and play. Working alongside local colleagues, VSO volunteer Daphne Sharp is helping to ensure that all children in Zanzibar receive a good basic education, whether that’s in a brightly decorated classroom with an animated teacher or under a tree with a wind up radio.

With over one million people in Tanzania living with HIV and AIDS, raising awareness among young Tanzanians is a high priority for VSO. We’re working with local partners like Femina HIP to help young people create a healthy future.

Although Kenya's infant mortality rate has been falling for the last few years, 56 in every 1,000 infants still die before they turn one. VSO is working with UNICEF, Deutsche Post World Net and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to improve survival rates. Field coordinator Simon Mugabi discusses the variety of approaches we're taking.

A CUSO-VSO volunteer works with Jamaica’s Dispute Resolution Foundation to help foster peace and reduce violence in the Caribbean nation.

Creating livelihoods while promoting sustainable resource use is an increasingly important component of VSO's work. CUSO-VSO volunteers serving in Latin America are taking a walk in woods that are models of community stewardship and sustainability.

Brendan Grehan, a teacher from Dublin, spent two years working in education development in Eritrea.

VSO fundraiser David Whittaker shared his skills in proposal writing, project planning and donor reporting to help Zambian youth organisation Africa Directions secure crucial funding from local and international donors. VSO developed his own skills too. Returning to the UK a better leader and strategic thinker, David is now a manager with a London-based homeless charity.

John Brogan an IT specialist from Dublin volunteered with VSO in September 2006 and worked as an IT trainer with the Ministry of Education in Eritrea.

To many Maasai people, disabilities are a curse from God. VSO volunteer Úna Higgins is based in Kajiado, in rural Kenya. She’s working to change that attitude by helping more than 20 disabled Maasai boys fulfill their potential. Here she discusses the difficulties she faced and the progress she’s made.

Traditional approaches to education have focused on getting ‘special needs’ children ready for the mainstream. Inclusive education, in contrast, starts from the child’s right to participate and the school’s duty to accommodate them. This approach is particularly useful in Namibia, where the prevalence of HIV and AIDS means both teachers and children are often absent from school – they either need to care for family members or are themselves ill. VSO volunteer Joseph Evans explains how he has worked to promote it.

Betty Ayagiba offers hope in Ghana through the Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM). WOM works to curb violence against women, and provides training and income-generation support to widows and orphans.

A CUSO volunteer alumnus makes an emotional journey back to the site of his overseas volunteer placement, almost two decades later.

Ruairi O’Hehir from Dublin is a secondary school teacher at Rathdown School in South Dublin. Ruairi volunteered with VSO in 2008 and was placed in a VSO education programme and currently works as an education management advisor in Rwanda. Ruairi’s role involves training local Rwandan teachers. Here he describes a typical day in Rwanda.

Margaret Flanagan a business consultant from Drogheda Co Louth, Ireland, volunteered with VSO in June 2008 and currently works as an organisational development adviser in Bagerhat, a rural area in Bangladesh. Below she describes a typical day in her placement.

Marie Banaghan, a primary school teacher from Trim Co Meath, Ireland, volunteered with VSO along with her husband Kieran in September 2008. She currently works along Kieran as a professional development facilitator for the Ministry of Education in Malawi. Below Marie describes a typical day.

Orla Ni Eidhin an accountant originally from Limerick, worked with a large consulting firm in Dublin before volunteering with VSO in 2008. She now works as an accountant and management adviser with a human rights programme in Kathmandu, Nepal. Below Orla details an average day as a VSO volunteer in Nepal.

Improving income opportunities for poor people is a crucial aspect of VSO’s secure livelihoods work. That might involve developing people’s marketing skills so that their small businesses can thrive, or equipping students with IT skills so that they can become more employable. Former IBM management consultant and VSO volunteer Ramona Maye is currently doing both in Dodoma, Tanzania.

After five years spent teaching in the classroom, Ruth Powell wanted to “do more than just go to work every Monday for pints every Friday”. So she went from teaching English language to adult refugees in Dublin to having “the most extra-ordinary experience” as a VSO English teacher and trainer at a university in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar.

Tom Collins from Rathfarnham in South Dublin left his role in business management to join VSO in March 2008. Tom currently works as a business development advisor with a regional council in Cameroon. Below Tom describes a typical day in Cameroon.

Maria Rafferty from Ireland, began volunteering for VSO in 2007. Here she describes her impressions of Ethiopia.

Jenny Hobbs a primary teacher from Bray Co. Wicklow, Ireland recently finished her placement in The Gambia.

Helen Collison from Portmarnock Co. Dublin left her teaching post in St Sylvesters Infant School in Malahide, to volunteer with VSO as a district teacher support officer in Northern Ghana. Below she recounts her Ghanian experience.