Livelihoods Volunteer Award

Winner: Evans Otieno, national volunteer, Engagement and Leadership in Kenya

Evans has facilitated the Organization Performance Improvement process to help youth led organisations, become more effective, sustainable, and deliver results for the youth they seek to empower economically and socially.

He has played a key role in linking the young people with VSO experts to ensure the youth have the right skills. He has advocated for increased governmental accountability and transparency and supported young people to exercise their rights. 

Muhammad Bilal, national volunteer, Volunteering for Development project in Pakistan

Muhammad went above and beyond his role as a national volunteer, by training young people in how to use social media tools for effective awareness campaigns.

He supported youth ‘social media champions’ to create campaigns covering topics like quality education, resilience, sustainable food consumption, social inclusion and gender, social cohesion and peacebuilding.

He also helped people to build online digital businesses such as a social media marketing agency, vlogging channel, and ecommerce selling of local goods in Pakistan.

Photunatus Nyundo, national volunteer, on the CLARITY project in Tanzania 

Photunatus empowers youth, women and disabled people through business mentorship and advisory sessions and has supported the establishment of environmentally friendly businesses.

He supports people to access government development funds and information about markets and economic opportunities through community forums and peer support groups. He has successfully supported the establishment of 20 businesses; 10 of female lead, 7 youth lead and 3 led by people with disabilities.

Chris Evans, remote volunteer, Agroecology in Nepal 

Chris first volunteered with VSO in 1985 in Nepal. He discovered ‘permaculture’, form of agricultural design that promotes environmentally friendly solutions for how we grow food and protect environments.

Chris founded the Jajarkot Permaculture Programme (JPP) to spread environmentally friendly practices and ideas in Nepal. During the pandemic he has worked as a remote volunteer, providing education to local farmers to increase food security in the area, amplify the voices of female farmer and improve local resilience to climate change.