News

Ten years on from the end of civil war in Sierra Leone (18 January), mass youth unemployment poses a threat to the existing peace and stability in the country, international development charity VSO is warning.

A delegation of six Mozambican parliamentarians, government representatives and members of civil society organisations will be travelling to Ireland as part of a VSO sponsored  study tour taking place from 6-10 February 2012.  The learning objectives behind this tour are to foster learning and understanding amongst delegates around volunteering activities in Ireland, and how they are supported by government and implemented by the voluntary sector. 

VSO underlined its new global focus with the appointment of a new Chair and six new trustees to its International Board.

Today VSO and the Peace Corps signed a partnership agreement at the United Nations headquarters in New York that will allow the organisations to share best practices and work more effectively in countries where volunteers serve. The event was organised by UN Volunteers as part of the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers and International Volunteer Day.

VSO are staging an upmarket fashion lunch entitled Style at La Stampa on 14 December at the exclusive La Stampa Hotel on Dawson Street in Dublin 2.

VSO Ireland is addressing the burden of care of HIV and AIDS, and working to alleviate the pressures on women and girls.  People likeMaggie Kwendo, a grandmother to seven orphans, are receiving support. 

VSO launched its third ‘Politicians for Development Programme’ in late July.  Senator Averil Power (Fianna Fail) and Dominic Hannigan TD (Labour) are both volunteering to work in Mozambique and The Philippines respectively

President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron have today announced a partnership between two of the world’s leading volunteer organisations, VSO and the US Peace Corps.

Current Rose of Tralee Clare Kambamettu has recently returned from an eighteen day tour of India organised by  VSO.

2011 is European Year of Volunteering.  VSO is supporting this fantastic opportunity for voluntary organisations across the EU to join together.

VSO nominated for awards at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Second Global Forum for Human Resources in Bangkok, Thailand. Five VSO human interest case stories have been short-listed by WHO for Awards for Excellence.

To highlight the work its volunteer teachers do in training their counterparts in developing countries, VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) has invited teachers from Tanzania and Ethiopia to meet Irish teachers this week (16th to 19th November 2010) in Dublin and Cork to share their experiences in Education.

VSO are delighted to announce details of "Couture at the Club" at the exclusive Stephen's Green Hibernian Club, in aid of VSO's work in flood stricken Pakistan.

Volunteering has come a long way from the days of students digging wells and building toilet blocks. But in Cambodia, one volunteer has been doing just that...

Senator Fiona O'Malley is an Irish politician recently returned from a VSO volunteer placement in Tajikistan. Based in Penjkient, she is advised on how to improve the profile of tourism in the region.

VSO Indonesia in cooperation with Dirjen Binapenta, are looking to recruit Indonesian professionals who will be placed in VSO partner organisations in several developing countries around the world.

Group of Irish TDs and Senators flying out to Africa and Asia from to serve as VSO volunteers

VSO is a member of the Global Campaign for Education. 
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In mid-March 2010 Senator David Norris of the VSO Ireland board visited Tanzania in East Africa. 

VSO are delighted to be an official charity partner of this year’s Rose of Tralee festival. The partnership follows on from the highly successful VSO ambassador role undertaken by the Rose of Tralee over the past two years.

As schools re-open after the Christmas break, a major recruitment drive for teachers has been launched in Ireland by VSO, the largest independent volunteer placement agency in the world.
Expressing concern about the current shortage of Irish volunteer primary school teachers, VSO has moved to reassure teachers that pension, PRSI and increments are covered while they serve in developing countries and that their jobs will still be there when they return to Ireland.

Rose of Tralee Charmaine Kenny is VSO’s newest ambassador. Charmaine, originally from Athy, but represented London at this year's festival, has a business background, which is an ideal fit for VSO.

VSO welcomes the positive steps the UN General Assembly has taken in expressing unanimous support for the creation a UN women’s agency to be headed by a new Under Secretary-General (USG). 

Over the summer, hundreds of Irish people will visit Thailand on holiday but Paul O'Keeffe from Glanworth is planning a more extended stay by volunteering with VSO Ireland.

VSO officially opens its programme office in Tajikistan on 25 June 2009 following its official registration in Tajikistan last September. The British ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Trevor Moore, will host the official launch of VSO’s newest country programme. 

VSO announced today that it sees the job losses in ACC and other financial institutions as positive for the developing world. 

VSO announced today that Lucinda Ledgerwood, the former contestant in the 2008 TheApprentice BBC TV show, is to take up a VSO placement in New Delhi. VSO volunteers are experienced professionals, often from the business sector.

Her excellency Ambassador Ms Catherine Muigai in partnership with VSO is hosting a garden party at the Kenyan residence on Friday 12 June.

VSO, the charity that recruits volunteers to work in developing countries, has announced that it sees the job losses in the education sector in Ireland as a positive for the developing world.

VSO, the charity that recruits volunteers to work in developing countries, said that the €100M cut to the Irish government’s ODA budget announcement is too severe and will ultimately cost the lives of poor people living in developing countries. The charity also stated that due to rising unemployment, more Irish people are interested in volunteering overseas but VSO will be unable to send as many people abroad as planned. Today’s cut, as announced in the government’s ‘mini-budget’, means that the ODA budget has been reduced by a total of 30% (€195m) since June 2008.

The 2008 Rose of Tralee, Aoife Kelly, visited Kenya as part of her role as official ambassador for Irish development charity VSO. Aoife spent a week visiting VSO funded programmes in two of its main goal areas – secure livelihoods and disability. The visit took place in March 2009.

VSO, the charity that recruits volunteers to work in developing countries, announced today that it has seen a dramatic increase in enquiries from Irish professionals looking to volunteer during the month of March 2009. VSO is an international development charity that places professional people on challenging work placements across Africa and Asia.

In March 2009 VSO sent a series of four postcards to TDs and Senators followed by a letter, highlighting the need for them to protect and support the Irish Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget in the upcoming ‘mini budget’, which took place on 7 April.

To mark International Women’s Day this Sunday, 8 March, VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) wishes to thank all its Irish female volunteers working in developing countries in Africa and Asia, plus all local organisations it supports in the developing world that focus on empowering women in their communities. VSO is an international development charity that recruits volunteers to work the world’s poorest and most deprived communities.

Waterford man Colm Halley has decided to beat the recession and share his marketing skills in Kenya with VSO, the charity that recruits volunteers to work in developing countries.

Cork girl Emma Donavon has decided to beat the recession and share his marketing skills in Kenya with VSO, the charity that recruits volunteers to work in developing countries.

VSO, the charity that recruits volunteers to work in developing countries, announced today that it has seen a 40% reduction in applications from Irish professionals looking to volunteer since the beginning of 2009. VSO wants to remind professionals that volunteering won’t affect their income or career prospects, as all costs are covered and placements are professionally challenging.

A delegation of Sri Lankan peace builders has visited Dublin and Belfast in a joint initiative organised by VSO and the Glencree Peace and Reconciliation Centre.