The VSO experience

Every year, thousands of professionals from a wide range of backgrounds contact us. Most have a strong desire to experience ‘giving something back’ in another part of the world and to embark on a fresh challenge.

Right now, over 1,500 volunteers are working in highly valued roles, helping to tackle the root causes of poverty.

Achieving shared goals

International volunteering is at the heart of VSO's contribution to development. VSO works with our overseas partners to bring together people from different cultures and backgrounds, enabling them to share skills and learning. These partnerships lead to new ways of achieving shared goals, and has a greater impact than simply transferring material resources.

VSO's international approach – which involves volunteers and staff from an increasingly wide range of countries – enriches our work by allowing VSO to combine and learn from different perspectives. As part of VSO's contribution to tackling disadvantage, VSO build on the experience and learning of volunteers to raise awareness of development and global justice issues, and to achieve policy change in developed countries.

Get involved

If you want to do something practical to improve life for the poorest people in the world, volunteering with IVO just could be the answer.

You might be wondering if you can really make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others. You can. For over 50 years, VSO have helped over 43,000 people to share their skills and change lives. We hope you’ll become one of them.

Find out more

Read our volunteer blogs and stories from the field to find out firsthand what it's like to volunteer with VSO.