Blog

Between the earth and the sky: Devna's story

In Nepal, suicide rates among young married women are very high. Devna* shares her experience of a surviving a forced marriage, and how she and her family came to be involved in a VSO project to reduce levels of violence in families in Baglung.

5 times UK aid supported mothers and babies around the world

Every day, approximately 386,000 babies are born. Of these, over 90 per cent will be born in countries where there still isn’t enough access to medical care, leaving them at risk of illness, disease and death. But support from UK aid is changing this, providing vital services in maternal and neontatal care. 

aerial view of the pamunda island, Zanzibar
E X P L O R E R/shutterstock.com

Struggles in paradise: Do the world’s poorest actually benefit from tourism?

Around the world, tourism is on the rise, but local people often don’t see the benefit. Our work in Zanzibar is a great example of how simple changes could make a world of difference to farmers trying to earn a living.

"A year I'll never forget"

Eileen’s year spent in Zambia was unforgettable. Not just because it was the first year of married life with her husband, but also for the extreme highs and lows of her stint volunteering in the children’s ward of a small rural hospital.

Meet the teacher volunteering in the Rohingya refugee camps

Thousands of Rohingya children are living in the refugee camps. They’re out of school and risk being left behind for good, but VSO education volunteer Fiona Kirby is working to help them

Helping Rohingya children get their childhoods back

About half a million children are living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. We're working together to help them.

Dieng’s story: Fighting polio gave me a passion for education

Rem Dieng, 26, was born with polio. It affects the way she walks – and her chances of getting work. Now a volunteer on VSO’s International Citizen Service (ICS) programme, she’s using her story to inspire youth club members to continue into higher education and better job prospects. 

Volunteers: Our not-so-secret weapon in creating resilient communities

A billion people in the world are volunteers. A new UN report rightly recognises their vital role combatting the growing global threat of natural and man-made disasters, writes VSO’s Chief Executive Philip Goodwin. 

The fields are empty: Why thousands of Cambodian farmers are disappearing

In Cambodia, rice farmers are struggling with growing costs and stagnant markets. They are taking out loans to cope in the difficult months and when they cannot repay them they're forced to migrate towards cities or overseas in search of work, leaving behind children and aged parents to care for the rice fields.

We have the UK’s most diverse charity leadership. But it shouldn’t stop at the top

This week we received one of our proudest accolades to date– to be named the UK’s most diverse charity in terms of senior leadership.

60 years in 60 photos

As the world has changed, VSO has changed with it. To date over 76,000 people have volunteered with VSO. Watch this video showing six decades of fighting poverty in under a minute.

60 years in Nigeria

60 years ago VSO set out to fight poverty globally. Today, the work of volunteers means there is much to celebrate in Nigeria. VSO CEO Philip Goodwin joins in.