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Media releases > Charity Awards 2004
VSO voted top international development charity at 2004 Charity Awards
(18 June 2004)
VSO was last night (Thursday June 17) voted top international development charity in the International Aid and Development category at the Charity Awards 2004 for its work in promoting innovative approaches to globalising volunteering.
South to south volunteering, national volunteering and the World Youth exchange were elements of VSO's work commended by the judges for the power of the vision, the empowering nature of the programmes and the quality of the management.
Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of VSO said:
This award is a powerful tribute to our work in all countries and an important contribution to raising public awareness of development issues. We are delighted to accept the award on behalf of all our volunteers and partners sharing their skills wherever they are needed. We are also pleased that we can take our own skills forward thanks to the prize from The Leadership Trust.
In four years, VSO has seen its concept of globalising volunteering becoming a real success, encouraging volunteering in southern countries and challenging the view that the North has all the answers.
South to south volunteering moves skilled volunteers from one developing country to another and there are now 300 southern volunteers sharing their expertise, for instance in HIV & AIDS programmes and social and community work.
National volunteering has grown in Uganda and in Ghana, and has been a particular success in the Philippines where international and national volunteers have worked together in Christian-Muslim peace-building activities.
The World Youth exchange gives groups of young people the chance to share their lives for six months in a partner country, and has attracted 750 participants to date.
The recognition of VSO's own strong management performance comes at a time when almost a quarter of the charity's outgoing volunteers this year are business and management professionals helping with projects as diverse as supporting groups fighting the HIV & AIDS pandemic in Africa, to setting up micro-finance projects in Papua New Guinea.
The awards, organised by Charity Finance, were hosted by comedian and author Dominic Holland. An invited audience of over 600 charity leaders, ministers, celebrities and funding trusts attended the event in Battersea.
Editors' notes- For more information about VSO please contact us.
- For further information about the Charity Awards, contact Laura Davis or Sue Beeby at Origin Communications, +44 (0)20 7377 9911
- VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) is the world's largest international development charity that works through volunteers. VSO has over 1,600 volunteers working in 34 different countries.
- VSO's nomination summary for the Charity Awards stated: 'Building on its established strengths, VSO is finding innovative ways of moving committed people with skills from wherever they are available to wherever they are most needed. VSO now promotes volunteering between and within Southern countries, harnessing vast talent and challenging the view that the North has all the answers.'
- Almost a quarter of VSO departing volunteers in this financial year fall within the business sector. In the five years to 2003 the number of business and management professionals volunteering with VSO more than doubled from 83 to 173. A further 30% growth in requests from overseas partners this financial year means that 223 volunteers are needed to take up positions over the next 12 months.
- With an average age of 38, VSO's volunteers hold a wealth of professional knowledge and experience across a broad range of sectors.
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