Partnerships at VSO are more than just alliances; they're shared missions with resounding impact. We team up with diverse partners and communities to co-create lasting change. Our solutions are effective because they are locally owned and sustained.
Our approach
Community centred and globally minded
At the heart of our operations are the principles of localisation and locally-led development that emphasises the pivotal role of “primary actors” — the main drivers and active participants in the communities we serve. VSO empowers these people to shape the development and delivery of VSO's programmes.
This approach helps to ensure that every initiative is finely tuned to the specific needs and dynamics of each community, fostering solutions that are not only beneficial but transformative.
Systems strengthening
Beyond empowering individuals, we are committed to systemic strengthening, a holistic approach that seeks to build resilient and inclusive societies from the ground up. This involves:
- Social Inclusion and Gender Equity: Crafting a future where diversity is celebrated, and inclusion is the norm.
- Building Resilience: Helping communities prepare and adapt to unforeseen challenges, ensuring sustainability.
- Social Accountability: Empowering community members to voice their concerns fearlessly, fostering a society where power dynamics are equal, and corruption is eradicated.
Focusing on strengthening the systems that impact people’s lives, means we can address the root causes of complex community issues, creating a ripple effect of lasting, positive change that transcends individual communities and shapes a brighter future for all.
Our areas of work
Using our current strategy (2022-28), VSO has reached 24.8 million people across 36 countries.
Inclusive education
VSO supports marginalised children in developing countries through our innovative community engagement model that accelerates learning for girls out of school. VSO strives to address the root causes of marginalisation, particularly the social norms and conditions, including conflict or lack of resources, that make people vulnerable.
Examples:
- Supporting early childhood education in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement
- Getting children back to school in Pakistan
- Championing play-based learning in Rwanda
Creating climate resilient livelihoods
The people VSO work with are at the forefront of the climate emergency, experiencing extreme weather events more frequently. VSO focuses on ensuring food, job and income security for marginalised women, young people and people with disabilities.
To ensure this VSO works to strengthen the agency and voice of marginalised women, small-scale food producers and young people and their networks to transform food and labour markets, pushing for increased public investment in agroecology and green economy.
Examples:
- Transforming waste into work for Kenya’s youth
- Promoting green livelihoods on Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake
Sexual and reproductive health rights
VSO adopts an intersectional approach to sexual and reproductive health rights. We work with duty-bearers at the national, regional and global levels to formulate and implement strategies, policies and plans that ensure inclusive access to health care services. Engaging with local youth to advocate for their rights is at the forefront of this strategy.
Example:
Peacebuilding
Our programmes in conflict-affected contexts are powerful enablers in building peace through carefully selected interventions that strengthen social cohesion, foster resilience and stability and empower communities.
Examples:
- Building peace on the Kenya/Ethiopia border
- Supporting former Moro Islamic Liberation Front combatants in the Philippines
Advocacy
VSO works to influence policy at national, regional and international levels, using evidence from our programmes to help shape a fairer world.
Whether it’s advocating to change byelaws in the communities we work in, influencing national legislation across Africa and Asia-Pacific, or bringing the voices of the most marginalised people to input to global bodies like the UN, all of our policy and advocacy is rooted in evidence from our programming and centres the needs and voices of our primary actors.
Example:
What a partnership with VSO offers
Tailored partnership dynamics
We craft partnerships that are mutually enriching, leveraging the distinctive strengths of each entity to foster initiatives grounded in sustainable development and social impact.
A rich legacy of impact
VSO brings to the table a rich legacy of impact, supported by real case studies and testimonials, showcasing the depth of our engagement in international development.
Engagement with a network of local partners
Our work is deeply rooted in the communities we serve, offering a rich network of local partners that foster ground-up initiatives that are locally led and community-centric.
Transparency and accountability
At VSO we operate with an unwavering commitment to transparency and accountability, offering a collaborative space where every project is executed with the highest levels of integrity.
The role of our partners
We understand that the complexities of community development require multi-dimensional solutions, and that's where our partners come into play.
From local NGOs to international agencies, academic institutions, and private sector collaborators, we form strategic alliances that enrich and diversify our impact. By leveraging collective expertise, we can design interventions that are not only effective, but culturally sensitive and locally relevant.
Who we work with
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Our work
We fight inequality not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change for some of the world’s most marginalized communities.
Annual report
Read our full annual report from 2023-24, and download reports from previous years.
Vision, values and strategy
A fair world for everyone. Creating lasting change through volunteering.