Blogs

Meet 14 year old Mphatso who dropped out of school without the ability to read or write. He was sat in class with 200 other students unable to learn, so what was the point of attending school? Educational tablets are now giving Mphasto the education he deserves.

Tanzania is home to a vast array of minerals and natural resources. Gold in particular accounts for more than two-thirds of the country’s exports. Despite this, many women and young people are often excluded and are unable to profit from the extractive industries.

Vilma Esoto is a remarkable national volunteer working hard in the Philippines, where she ensures that out-of-school youth get the relevant mentorship and leadership skills they deserve to achieve a prosperous future.

Rukaiya Siddika is a national volunteer in Bangladesh, working to empower women who live in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Volunteers like Rukaiya are using technology to empower women living in the camps to learn new skills in ICT.

Brown is a heart-warming film by VSO community volunteer, Brown Niyonsaba and volunteer filmmaker, Justin Spray that explores the question 'what does it mean to be a Deaf woman in Rwanda?' Watch the film here.

Check out our video which tells the impressive story of how VSO volunteers in the Philippines are harnessing the hidden power of mangroves, nature and community to create real sustainable change for families.

Arifa Ripa, a VSO national volunteer, is championing play-based learning to help these children regain their childhood and learn so they can secure a chance of a different and better future. Here is her story.

After retiring from a successful career as a science teacher, Sean decided to share his skills to help Cambodian children pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Here's his story.

Much progress has been made for women's rights. However around the world  the fight for women's rights continues. In this blog, we celebrate some key achievements of women around the world and understand how much further we have to go...

There has been much talk across the international development sector in the past two years about the need to “decolonise” aid, to transfer power to those in the countries where international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) are operating.

At VSO we believe that it is crucial to place meaningful youth engagement at the heart of climate action. Young people have the passion and creativity to bring about innovative solutions to global emergencies, such as climate change, as this could determine their future. 

As we move into 2023, let’s have a look back to 2022. And what a year it was! Despite, the soaring cost of living, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and a series of climate disasters that defined 2022, our supporters and volunteers continued to support our work in the face of adversity.