Blog

The ripple effect of volunteering
One good deed can make waves long into the future. Find out how one Cambodian community is continuing to benefit from a project that concluded in 2018.

Social inclusion, gender, and Black Lives Matter
Reflecting on our global work to address issues of diversity, inclusion, equality and anti-discrimination.

Pandemic response must empower communities
COVID-19 is accelerating new approaches to do development differently

Volunteer field reports from a global pandemic
With most VSO volunteers staying in placement to help tackle COVID-19, three of them share first-hand perspectives on what they are seeing on the ground now.

Meet the volunteers fighting poverty from their living rooms
Remote working? You’re not the only one! More than 40 international VSO volunteers are giving online support to projects around the world, despite having had to return home because of COVID-19.

Kids stuck at home? Advice from a VSO volunteer teacher
Education volunteer Mary Watkins shares practical tips to learn from the pragmatism and ingenuity of these teachers in the world's poorest communities.

The enduring spirit of volunteering
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a rush of volunteers - it's an inspiring moment, and a reminder of the benefits and lasting power of volunteering.

Coronavirus: UK Volunteer opportunities and ideas for action
We're living in unprecedented times and it's easy to feel overwhelmed - but, despite the constant stream of worrying news and growing pressure on services, now is a great time for us collectively to take positive action to help our communities.

One year on from Cyclone Idai
We hear from those rebuilding their lives a year after Cyclone Idai devastated large parts of Mozambique.

Empowering women, ending dependence and transforming lives – two stories from Bangladesh
Volunteer filmmaker Sue Turbett has just returned from Bangladesh, capturing first-hand projects that are investing in the livelihoods of women.
Life as an education volunteer in Myanmar
After nearly three decades working as a teacher, Portuguese volunteer Ana Paula Pinto shares her experiences volunteering in Myanmar. Educating children here has not always been a priority but Ana Paula says that’s changing, slowly but surely.

Twelve hours in newborn A&E
This photo diary of a day in the life of a remote hospital in north-east Ethiopia reveals how VSO-trained nurses and midwives are fighting to save lives.