Why have we chosen to work in partnership with VSO?
When it came to choose a charity to work with we both had particular criteria that we wanted to match before continuing. To start with we wanted to ensure that our journey tied in in some way with the charity we were working with. The most obvious tie in was to be able to visit some of the charities work on our way round. This way we could highlight the work that is being done, and perhaps help with some deliveries or support on arrival. With VSO there are plenty of different countries on our route (or near to it) with a volunteer presence: Below are listed potential countries :
Bangladesh
Cambodia
China
India
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Laos
Maldives
Mongolia
Nepal
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Secondly we wanted to ensure that our charity was working alongside and in partnership with the local people they are helping. Although we understand the need for the many different types of charity, we have both always felt that it is important to help people to help themselves. There are three key approaches to VSO’s general ethos - Empowerment, Partnership and Commitment to learning. On reading up on this strategy (named Focus for Change) it seemed a very logical way to offer long-term assistance to people who need it. In addition to this strategy, VSO have specific development goals worldwide including the following:
Education
HIV & AIDS
Disability
Health and Social Well-being
Secure Livelihoods
Participation and Governance
We can all understand the importance of building up a local support structure in these areas, and look forward to playing whatever part we can to help.
Both of us admire the work of VSO and are still considering volunteering at the end of our trip . Supporting VSO throughout our journey would be the final piece of the jigsaw. It is clear that the financial implications of physically sending people and supplies to help in these areas are not insignificant, we would like to provide assistance both directly to the people who need it, and to the helpers based in these areas through both fundraising and volunteering.
If you would like further information on VSO you can go directly to their website