CUSO Merger Approved
The Boards of VSO International, CUSO and VSO Canada have agreed to a merger between CUSO and VSO Canada and approved the membership of the new organisation in the VSO Federation. A Board for the new Canadian entity, to be called CUSO-VSO, has been created.
Work will now proceed without delay in order to sign legal documents in the coming few weeks, and we hope to begin implementation in October.
All parties are excited about the potential of the merger to create a stronger VSO Federation Member in Canada, with a strengthened capacity for public engagement and policy dialogue in North America. VSO value being able to contribute to and help expand programmes in Latin America, Burkina Faso, Togo and Laos where we don't currently work, as well as the combined learning and resources now available through joint programmes in countries where we do. We also value CUSO's experience in thematic areas that VSO is keen to support: CUSO's Access to Justice for Women and Children will represent a new focus for VSO's participation and governance work; CUSO's work in protecting environments and climate change can only strengthen VSO's work to secure livelihoods; and CUSO's experience with social and economic inclusion of youth will helpfully inform VSO's Youth for Development programme and the new youth dimension in VSO's secure livelihoods framework.
CUSO values the chance to become a partner in a broad based internation federation, with a wider range of international programmes all being supported by members across the world. The merger also allows the continuation of some CUSO country programmes that may have had to close in 2009.
VSO will manage the international programmes in Africa and Asia from merger date. Latin American programmes will be managed from Canada for 2009 before transferring to the International.
This merger also brings new opportunities for the future: CUSO-VSO will be the largest volunteer sending agency in Canada, at the centre of development in Canada and will be well positioned to take advantage of, and lead, changes and growth of the sector in that context, it will also start to look seriously at opportunities in the U.S ....and with greater access to french speaking volunteers, and more experience in Francophone Africa, VSO will be well positioned to consider working in more of the poorest communities in Africa.
This is a fantastic outcome made possible by tremendous effort and skilled work by very many people from CUSO, VSOC and VSOI, and the new Board of CUSO-VSO.