Voluntary Services Overseas

International development charity that recruits volunteers from the developed world to share their skills and experience with local communities in the developing world. VSO recruits volunteers of any nationality living in the European Union (EU), Canada, and the USA. It is the largest independent volunteer-sending agency in the world; since 1958, VSO has sent out more than 29,000 volunteers to work in Africa, Asia, the Pacific region, and Eastern Europe. Volunteers are aged between 17 and 70, and are people from a wide range of professions who want to work against poverty. The focus is on long-term development, rather than short-term relief.