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850,000 school children benefit from VSO education volunteers
Irish volunteers are supporting sustainable change every day with VSO Ireland, the development organisation that works in 24 countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific. New figures from VSO International’s annual report show that VSO volunteers trained over 66,000 teachers last year, benefiting more than 850,000 school children globally. VSO Ireland's education volunteers were featured on last Friday's episode of Nationwide on RTE 1. Other volunteers include Maria Casey (Kerry), Marie Moreau (Dublin) and Padraic McKeon (Mayo) who have all just returned from working on an Irish Aid funded programme in Karamoja, Uganda.
Many VSO programmes are based in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 30 million children are out of school (UNESCO, 2013). VSO volunteers share their skills at community, district and national level to improve education services – they train teachers, update inspection services, develop curricula and work with governments to develop education policies. In this way, VSO programmes support sustainable change that continues long after volunteers return home.
Kate O’Donnell, VSO Ireland’s interim Executive Director, commented, “VSO International’s latest annual report underlines the incredible impact Irish VSO volunteers are having on our education programmes around the world. We are lucky to have a large pool of highly qualified and experienced teachers here in Ireland, many of whom are open to the professional and personal benefits volunteering can offer. I look forward to welcoming more Irish teachers onto our education programmes in the future.”
Volunteering overseas is a mutually beneficial undertaking and can lead to enhanced career opportunities back in Ireland. Claire Nic Gabhann, a primary school teacher from Monaghan, is thankful for the professional experience her placement in Tanzania awarded her. She said, “There is a wealth of opportunity for learning from others around you. Your leadership skills, communication skills, collaboration skills and skills as an educator will all be tested and as a result you will grow professionally.”
VSO Ireland is always looking for experienced Primary Teachers, Teacher Trainers, Inspection Advisors or Education Managers to volunteer and play a vital role in developing the education systems in some of the world’s poorest communities.
We also have opportunities for health professionals, especially Doctors, Paediatricians, Nurses, Health Managers, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Our health volunteers, such as Dr Siobhán Neville (Dublin), Dr Aisling Walsh (Limerick) and Dr Peter O’Reilly (Kerry), have helped to reduce neonatal mortality rates and extend health services to those that need them most.
If you are interested in learning about how you can begin your volunteer journey or would simply like more information, please visit www.vso.ie or email volunteer@vso.ie.