Blogs

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.

Find out how VSO youth champions are helping people and communities build resilience in the fight against climate change.

In Zimbabwe, survivors of violence and abuse have little access to mental health services to manage the trauma they’ve experienced. VSO supporters are empowering VSO volunteers to be there for people who have suffered.

Around the world, girls with disabilities are being denied their right to an education. With a shortage of properly trained staff, inaccessible schools, and lack of appropriate learning resources, girls face barriers at every turn. 

Extreme weather due to climate change is increasing around the world. The devastating flooding in Pakistan, that has left one-third of the country underwater, is a stark reminder that the increasing frequency of extreme weather events disproportionately affects the poorest in society.

Already battered by the climate crisis and COVID-19, Africa is now facing rising food prices in light of the war in Ukraine. Investing in agroecology and smallholder farmers is the only way out of the crisis.

Anisa Hay, 32, raised in the USA and now UK based, is volunteering with VSO’s Let's Learn Through Play project in Rwanda, where she applies her experience of international volunteering and her work at a UK school for children with special educational needs.

Volunteering is too often badly misunderstood. Too often, it is seen as a “worthy” activity undertaken by people with time on their hands. However, it really is a fundamental part of any country’s development journey and when done properly, it can be a tool for creating a fairer world for everyone.

Around the world, people with disabilities face additional barriers to getting quality healthcare. Brown Niyonsaba is a young deaf woman volunteering to change this in her native Rwanda.