Blog

On Thursday 8 December 2022, VSO hosted its annual Volunteer Impact Awards, celebrating the exceptional contribution of volunteers from around the world. If you missed the ceremony yourself, we’ll be rounding up our 2022 winners in this blog!

With Christmas on our doorsteps, millions of people around the world are gearing up to celebrate the festive season. Here we discover how no two countries do Christmas the same with a mini round-up of some of the coolest and quirkiest traditions in places where VSO works.

Three inspiring stories of hope that demonstrate how VSO’s resilient livelihoods programming is changing the lives of people with disabilities for the better.

As the year draws to a close, we want to highlight all the amazing work and achievements of VSO volunteers this year.

Thematic Partnership Lead-Resilient Livelihoods, Vladymir Rivera, recounts his experience of visiting our agroecology project in Siaya, Kenya sharing his notes from the field.

Hear from Tugwell, a Social Accountability Advisor under the Speak It Loud project in Zimbabwe. He's using his 16 years’ experience as a social worker to help end violence against women.

Right now, over 3.5 million people are on the brink of starvation across drought-ravaged Kenya. With large parts of the country having suffered a fourth consecutive season of failed rains, crops have been decimated and livestock killed, destroying the livelihoods of many Kenyans.

Meet Yvonne, a health champion who's improving access to sexual and reproductive health for youth in her community, and empowering girls and boys in rural Zambia to make informed decisions about their sexual health.

Meet Manisha, a 19 year old volunteer who has been working with VSO for three months as a Youth Health Champion, teaching young people about adolescent health in Nepal.

Hear from one of our youth champions Bartholomew on how he's helping to raise awareness on sexual and reproductive health among adolescents in his community.

Meet Aarati, a health champion working on youth health rights in Nepal. Her work on the strengthening youth and adolescent health access and rights (SYAHAAR) project is helping youth and LGBTQ+ people to access sexual and reproductive health services.

Truphosah works as a disability inclusion advisor on the DESIP project in Kenya, advocating for family planning and social inclusion for disabled people within health services. She is a Kenyan woman with disability and uses a wheelchair for mobility.