Sparking lasting change for everyone

Real change starts with people who choose to act. When they choose to stand with people, VSO volunteers spark others into action, to teach, to build skills, to rebuild trust and societies. Because around the world too many people stand alone - excluded from their basic rights, education, or a chance to earn a living. Through their time, skills and lived experience, volunteers spark lasting change, until no-one stands alone.

Areas of work

Purnima at a catch up class
Suraj Shakya

Inclusive education

Making sure everyone gets the skills they need to live a fulfilled, dignified life.

We helped almost 3.6 million people to access the quality education they deserve using our current strategy.

Young female farmers in Kenya
VSO/Paul Wambugu

Resilient livelihoods

Ensuring people have the skills needed to support themselves and their families.

Over 400,000 people benefited from our work supporting livelihoods using our current strategy.

Girls at the She Club, a safe space for girls to learn about SRHR
Chosa Mweemba

Adolescent and youth health and wellbeing

Improving health services and empowering people to exercise their right to quality care.

We helped almost 200,000 people access better healthcare using our current strategy.

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Latest news

Hear stories from volunteers and communities and stay up-to-date with the latest VSO news.

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Group of girls learning outdoors
VSO Mozambique

The two volunteers empowering girls and young women in Mozambique

Nelma and Carmirene and are two volunteers working on VSO's EAGLE project in Mozambique. For Nelma and Carmirene, education is not just about school, it is about meeting people where they are and using the right tools to challenging harmful norms. Here are their stories.

Haway with her daugther Fatima* and community volunteer Siad working to build peace IPDHE project on the Kenya Ethiopia border
VSO/Paul Wambugu

A ripple of change: how VSO volunteers are transforming communities

Every act of volunteering begins with a choice — a decision to act out of a desire to make a difference. Across the world, VSO volunteers are proving that one spark of action can ignite something much bigger. 

4040

Opening doors to safety, education, and a brighter future

For girls in Karamoja, the poorest region in Uganda, being forced into early motherhood is all too common. This Christmas, you can open the doors to Safety, Education, and a Brighter Future.

Our impact

Using our current strategy (2022-28), VSO has reached 24.8 million people, including over 20.6 million indirectly and nearly 4.2 million directly.

Find out more in our impact report

3.6m

Nearly 3.6 million were reached through our education projects.

400,000

Over 400,000 people were reached through our resilient livelihoods programme.

200,000

Almost 200,000 people were reached through our health projects.

Volunteering with VSO

Make an impact by sharing your skills and experience with some of the most marginalised people in the world. Become a VSO volunteer.

Browse all current opportunities

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