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Today VSO staff were in the UN General Assembly in New York, for International Year of the Volunteer – 10 years on.
VSO influenced member states with a position paper on a UN Resolution passed this morning. Our chief executive spoke at the NGO forum on volunteerism. Images of VSO’s work were put on display in the UN lobby and we signed, with the formality the UN do best, and with ambassadors from the UN and UK looking on, a Memorandum of Understanding with Peace Corps. VSO was very visible.
Yes, there were speeches congratulating volunteers of the good work they did, but there were also warnings that volunteerism is undervalued and unrecognised. And a message that in a changing world, volunteerism is starting to be recognised as a primary force for impact in development.
UN Volunteering’s “State of the World’s Volunteerism Report” is comprehensive and readable. I felt that where it recommended new initiatives, VSO are already there. VSO’s diaspora and south-south initiatives were mentioned. The report also says that the nature of volunteering should be understood better – VSO’s Valuing Volunteering initiative (a study of the impact of volunteering on poverty) will. It says that volunteer impact needs to be measured better, and we have reliable tools that do this. The report wants better knowledge sharing – our blogs are one small example.
So why ‘another big step’? VSO have come a long way, but today we spoke in a big forum – and we were heard.
David Clamp
Security management adviser
Usually it goes “Little steps, big changes” but in this case, “Big step, big change” big up VSO, big up Peace Corps!!
Wow! Bravo VSO. This is a great milestone in VSO’s initiatives fighting poverty and making a world impact. Thanks David for sharing this exciting news with us.
Well done!
This is an important step.
VSO leaders and staff, congratulations!
Working with Peace Corps will give fantatic exposure to our work and reach many many potential volunteers and supporters in the US. A great milestone for VSO!
Volunteerism has been there in existence but only small things have been recognized in the world about the works of volunteers. The VSO and Peace Corps effort of work complementation marks another milestone in the celebration of the International Volunteer Day. The volunteers’ sharing of knowledge, skills and experiences with the deserving organizations and individuals around the globe oftentimes unnoticed makes the difference and as a VSO Volunteer in Tanzania, East Africa, I felt that kind of situation, but the drive must have to continue because to serve is a fulfillment of inspiration.
Congratulations ! To me the MOU is more than to make the world free from poverty with food but it has inspired all the human beings to overcome the hidden poverty from deep inside the heart and lift up with volunteering ethos and contridute for the society.
Bravo to the millions of people who volunteered to contribute to the welfare and development of humankind. Bravo to VSO and USPC for signing an MoU. This is a gaint step in polling our resource together to make an even bigger difference. When I write finish writing this comment i will go to the launching of State of World’s Volunteerism report and the celebration of IYV+10. This event is organised by all volunteering involving organisation in The Gambia including VSO, UNV and USPC.
Thanks everyone for the positive comments. Of course, after every big step comes… another step! And we’ve just concluded a full day in Peace Corps HQ in Washington, working out how to link people in Peace corps with their colleagues in VSO – so we can work together where it is right for both organisations. I’ll continue as VSO’s focal point for the VSO relationship, and now the real work begins!
It is wonderful to hear that volunteer involving organizations are joining efforts to make a positive change. In The Gambia, the volunteer steering committee was organized this year whose members are composed of international and local volunteer involving organizations. This initial step will hopefully lead to strengthen the Volunteers’ Network (VolNet) in the country.
What a GIANT STEP!!! I was with a Peace Corps representative in a UNICEF review meeting discussing strategies of collaboration while not knowing this big step is happening in New York. Volunteerism, no doubt, has a great impact on changing our partners behaviour as well as creating a newer world vision for volunteers, partners and staff. The new collaboration will give a new momentum for volunteerism to reach its known achievements worldwidely.
Kudos to VSO International and the US Peace Corps in this game-changing joining of forces in the global fight against Poverty and Disadvantage.
VSO Bahaginan recognises VSO’s contribution to Philippines’ development more clearly today than in its over 40 years of presence in this country. And it is to harness the innate Filipino culture of “pakikipagkapwa” (good citizenship), “pakikipagtulungan” (helping each other) and “pakikibahagi” (being one with others) such that national volunteering becomes a force to recon with in this country.
The USPC and USAID recently celebrated its joint 50th anniversary of work in the Philippines. With this Memorandum of Understanding, we in VSO Bahaginan eagerly look forward to working collaboratively with our colleagues in the Peace Corps and USAID in varied and innovative ways that will really matter and change the lives for the better for poorest and most vulnerable Filipino women, men and children!
Hi David,
Sorry to put a downer on this as everyone seems stoked but is this really that great? When I say to people in Cambodia, especially Americans that I work for VSO, they usually respond saying VSO is the English equivalent. Obviously you and Peace Corp know this isn’t true. But VSO is a much better voluntary agency. The MoU could have problems and put our image in dispute. Why have this when we have a Federation with the rest of the world’s great volunteer schemes?
There’s quite a big difference between us. The main being that VSO uses skilled professionals and has strategic placements at different levels (Ministry to grassroots) whereas Peace Corp are about the spread of American values. Peace Corp volunteers (and this was their opinions, not mine) are placed in areas where their skills aren’t matched, have a ‘Big Brother’ feel, swear their allegiance to the flag, have ridiculous policies, lack credible results, and some communities have very negative opinions about them, in particular West Africa.
I think learning from best practice is very one-sided (except for language training in Cambodia. They are pretty damn good!) So whoever thought the MoU was good, I still don’t get it.
D
Hi David – I completely understand your post! There were a few raised eyebrows at VSO when we started talking about this – and probably at Peace Corps too. And I agree with you when you say that VSO and Peace Corps are, and will remain, very different organisations. Peace Corps is a Federal organisation; VSO is an an NGO. Peace Corps has three Goals, the latter two of which are focussed on promoting the US and ensuring the volunteer gains from the experience: VSO is development focussed. But once you’re past that, on the ground, the organisations have several similar functions. We both work in similar sectors (education and health in particular), we both recruit and train volunteers, we both have to ensure the security of our volunteers (my area of interest); we often work physically alongside each other and there’s no point working on the same issue without talking to each other. And as you said, they’re the best language trainers there are!
VSO and Peace Corps have worked together in the countries we both operate on an ad hoc basis in the past – we’re now opening up the opportunity for more of that, and for HQ level collaboration too: but only where it works for both organisations.
Both VSO and Peace Corps are at a point in our corporate lives where we recognise we need to work with other organisations to deliver the best results, and I’ve found Peace Corps really open and prepared to explore ideas. And finally, I should say that this is not the last MoU with another volunteering organistion VSO is planning on signing!
Hope this goes some way to reassure you…
“Peace Corps has three Goals, the latter two of which are focussed on promoting the US and ensuring the volunteer gains from the experience: VSO is development focussed. But once you’re past that, on the ground, the organisations have several similar functions.”!!??? If I had time I’d rip this statement apart! And now we’ve reached this stage in our ‘corporate lives’ it is not time to dilute our own development ethos which has taken over 50 years of learning. The MoU gives the A-OK sign to a really poor organization that thinks it does development. As long as it doesn’t effect our work, and as long as they follow our lead for joint programming that’s fine.
As an a American working for VSO in southern Africa, I can see both Davids’ points. But where David J. misses the mark are his overgeneralizations of Peace Corps volunteers, though his understanding of the distinction between the organizations’ respective aims is valid. However, I have to agree with David C. that there are obvious opportunities for more cooperation on the ground. It sounds a bit patronizing to say Peace Corps should “follow our lead,” as was suggested above, but in many cases it would be natural for VSO volunteers to act as a senior partner when their age and/or experience merits it.
Blake point taken. It was pretty patronizing saying Peace Corp should follow our lead, but if it comes to development work I think VSO have a lot more to offer. My fustration comes from Peace Corps themselves who tell me the best things that they do here fit outside their Peace Corp remit. I kind of feel a bit sorry for Peace Corp as they could be really good.
Never write a blog after a long day at work! Probably meeting two Peace Corp friends for a beer tonight so I won’t mention my last comment
Let me congratulate VSO and all those who volunteered their time, energy and resources to make this happen. It is as a result of many many years of hard work, sacrifice and commitment to the spirit of volunteering that the World body has come to recognise the efforts and thus helped to facilitate this important milestone ceremony. It has placed even a greater responsibility on all of us- but together with the same spirit can work even better to improve the lives of millions of people around the world. Thanks once more for all the support.
A great blog, such as this, is vso global community in conversation. A great blogger provokes thought through their commentary which readers respond to without context limitations. That said, as we applaud vso/peace corp’s ground breaking collaborative efforts in development work, its still important to applaud & recognize vso’s unique & ingenious approach to development work-diversity! i.e engaging varied brilliant minds across the globe & giving opportunities to people from less developed continents to share their skills as well.For me, PC’s lack of diversity is self-serving, all the same, kudos to both teams on the new MoU.
Good point Jack, seeing how the agreement will translate on the ground will be interesting. We are currently developing the country strategy and PC have not been mentioned. In Cambodia for vols nobody knew much about it until it was signed. And if you sat down VSO and Peace Corp there are massive differences so VSO needs to protect its image and method of doing development work here. This would mean targeting the work of Peace Corp at times, lobbying them to change their ways of working here which might prove difficult.