What you'll do
Volunteers work with CUSO-VSO and VSO International partner organizations overseas.
Volunteers are active in development in many ways. You will:
work with local colleagues, sharing skills, creativity and learning to achieve shared goals
live and work alongside colleagues with cultural sensitivity, respect and trust and bring an alternative, external perspective that can galvanise and facilitate change
bring passion and commitment to their role as a volunteer
work from community to national levels in rural and urban settings
are usually employed and managed by local agencies on terms and conditions similar to their colleagues
gain and provide unique insights into the reality of life in other countries and societies, helping to build a global community.
Volunteer roles
Depending on the requirements of the partner agency, volunteers may work in some or all of the following areas:
Strengthening individual capabilities, working with colleagues to share skills and build confidence and capacity.
Organizational capacity-building, working with colleagues to strengthen partner organizations’ systems, leadership, planning, management and sustainability.
Institutional development, working with colleagues to increase partner organizations’ ability to collaborate, network and influence policy at local, national or international level. Volunteers can also help strengthen national policy-making and legislative frameworks.
Service delivery, in order to improve the quality and availability of vital basic services to those people in greatest need. VSO supports such placements only if there is scope for enhancing individual capabilities, for example, by teaching pupils or training staff, and where there is real commitment to addressing the underlying causes of the skills shortage. However, we also respond to service delivery needs in post-conflict or trauma situations, for example, the staff and skill shortages caused by the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Volunteers’ roles often change as the placement evolves and working relationships develop.
