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Deborah Torr

Two members of the team holding hands. The team of volunteers head out on a community outreach day knocking on doors and completing surveys as part of the ICS Raleigh SWASH (school water, sanitation and hygiene plan) project. Mbulu, Tanzania

5 reasons to hold onto hope for the future

Round-the-clock news headlines can paint a picture of doom and gloom, meaning we lose sight of the facts. However, larger global trends tell a much more positive story of progress. Here are five things to be hopeful for in 2019.

Darren Clark pictured here sat on steps with a megaphone.

Getting positive about HIV: busting myths with music

Darren Clark has dedicated 12 years to harnessing the power of music to educate communities in Southern Africa on HIV and AIDS. Darren, now with an MBE to his name, says the fight against HIV and AIDS is not over.

Shehla Qureshi speaks at a conference in Karachi, Pakistan

Why we need more outspoken women

From climate activist Greta Thunberg, to Karachi’s first female police superintendent Shehla Qureshi, more and more strong women are speaking up against the injustice they see around them, and changing their world.

Image of Rohingya refugee camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh showing housing structures

5 things I've learned volunteering in a refugee camp

Kenyan volunteer Ann Wambui shares what she's learnt as a volunteer in Cox's Bazar camp in Bangladesh.

Abdul Latif, pictured here standing outdoors, is a farmer working with VSO on the Growing Together project.

How we're prepping the world's poorest for climate change

People in developing countries are bearing the brunt of global climate change, but VSO is supporting communities to become more resilient to changes in their natural environment.

Fatima Al Hassan from Niger, Nigeria, is a farmer on the IMA4P project. Here she is smiling and laughing by her house.

The future of farming is female

Fatima Al Hassan is part of a new generation of female farmers. In the past two years, Fatima has gone from cash-strapped housewife to successful entrepreneur, and is helping fight gender inequality along the way.

Fulani boy grazing cows in Ferlo desert, Senegal, 2017

Inside the climate-driven conflict in Nigeria

In Nigeria last year, six times more people were killed in clashes between herdsmen and farmers than in attacks by terrorist group Boko Haram. So why aren’t we hearing more on this issue?

Aisha Usman stands by a wall, one participant of a farming project in Nigeria

5 lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs – from the women who’ve been there

What does it take to start up your own business? For International Women’s Day, we speak to five women from around the world on their best business advice.

Boys in a classroom in a small village school near Mindat town, Myanmar.

Making sure no student gets left behind in Myanmar

In Myanmar, with a newly-elected government and an education system undergoing major changes, we are urgently recruiting VSO volunteers to help teachers adapt.

Two pairs of hands holding soya beans in Mokwa, Nigeria.

Five ways we’re supporting farmers in Nigeria

The last five years have been very busy for one group of farmers in Minna, Nigeria. Through a VSO project, thousands of them have been trained to improve their agricultural skills as well as their ability to run their farms as serious businesses.

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