Blog
![VSO speakers at the VSO offices in London VSO speakers at the VSO offices in London](/sites/default/files/styles/350x175/public/VSO%20speakers_.jpg?h=08b866d1&itok=bfxsGDhl)
Inspiring the next generation of volunteers
VSO’s brand new speaker service is made up of a network of returned volunteers across the UK. We caught up with two VSO speakers, Shonesé and Mark, who were among the first to sign up – sharing their experience volunteering with local communities.
![What are the ripple effects of your placement? group of people in zambia smiling and laughing at the camera](/sites/default/files/styles/350x175/public/zambia_0.jpg?h=2e804aed&itok=fGU3rCWj)
The ripple effect: What happens after a VSO placement?
From fostering cross-cultural understanding between countries, to furnishing hundreds of classrooms, many volunteers carry on making a difference after their official VSO placement has ended. This 'ripple effect' is still changing lives around the world.
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.
![Elaine on placement, administering vaccinations to a mother and her newborn child Elaine Bhate on placement](/sites/default/files/styles/350x175/public/volunteer-midwife-elaine-bhate-guinea-bissau_0.jpg?h=914cd869&itok=Pj8SS44A)
It's a family affair
In 1990, healthcare worker Elaine Bhate left the UK to volunteer as a VSO midwife. Almost three decades later – her daughter Ria, 19, followed in her footsteps. We caught up with them to understand how volunteering overseas changed their lives.
![Equal Experts have teamed up with VSO in Bangladesh Man walking through a green field on a Bangladeshi farm](/sites/default/files/styles/350x175/public/RS40593_Bangladesh_Rangpur_February_2018_%20VSO%20Livelihood%20Programme_Bhangni%20Farmers%27%20Centre_Qamruzzaman_Azadul.jpg?itok=XHDWDrXV)
Developing software for a better world
VSO has been working with software consultants, Equal Experts, using software to help rural farmers access new services in Bangladesh.
The future of farming is female
Fatima Al Hassan is part of a new generation of female farmers in Nigeria. In the past two years, Fatima has gone from cash-strapped housewife to successful entrepreneur, and is helping fight gender inequality along the way.
5 ways we're helping children with disabilities in Ethiopia
With your help, VSO is assisting the Ethiopian government with improving education in the underdeveloped region of Benishangul-Gumuz. Focusing on marginalised and indigenous communities, children with disabilities now have the opportunity to receive an education. From buying hearing aids to building ramps, see how your donations are making a difference.
![Fulani boy grazing cows, 2017 Fulani boy grazing cows in Ferlo desert, Senegal, 2017](/sites/default/files/styles/350x175/public/shutterstock_678936829%20%284%29.jpg?h=212d8523&itok=b6MAtFdg)
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?
Corporate volunteering: Meet the CEO who wants you to take more time off
Step away from the day job. After 15 years of partnership with VSO, Randstad’s CEO, Jacques van den Broek, tells us why he wants his employees to take time to volunteer.
Eight ways corporate volunteering benefits business
VSO Knowledge Exchange offers skilled employees in the private sector a way to volunteer to help change the lives of people in some of the world’s poorest places.
Leaving no one behind in global health
Despite significant leaps forward in global health over the past few decades, millions of people are unable to access the healthcare they deserve. It’s now imperative that we reach those left behind before it's too late.
Cyclone Idai: VSO Update
According to the UN, Cyclone Idai may be the worst such disaster ever to occur in the Southern Hemisphere. We have trained volunteers on the ground and are doing all we can to help with the immediate recovery.