Volunteering as a family

Is it possible to volunteer with VSO as a family with dependent children? We do have a small number of families who volunteer, but there is a lot to think about. Whether it’s possible will depend on the usual professional and practical factors for other volunteers – you’ll need the skills our partners request, for the time period they ask for – with extra personal considerations thrown in.

VSO appreciates that many potential volunteers have families, and there can be huge benefits to all involved when children accompany volunteers on a placement. However, VSO roles suitable for people with children can be hard to find, and for this reason there can be long delays before you can be matched to a placement overseas.

While placing volunteers with dependents can be difficult, the good news is that we are able to consider applications from families that have considered all the implications of taking children to a placement. Some of the things you’ll need to think about:

Education and childcare – these are often expensive overseas, and are unlikely to be covered by your VSO allowance. Depending on the country and area, suitable childcare or schooling may not be available locally.
Healthcare – all children accompanying VSO volunteers must be covered by our health insurance. However, access to medical facilities and the quality of healthcare is unlikely to be comparable to that available for children in the UK.
Accommodation – there may be limited types and capacity of accommodation for families, as VSO’s overseas partners are usually responsible for providing suitable accommodation. With often very limited resources they cannot necessarily provide accommodation suitable for anyone other than the volunteer.
Availability of roles – there may not be an appropriate placement for your partner if you have one. The age of some children may prevent volunteers from being posted to particular countries where there is risk of certain diseases.
Finances – VSO can’t financially support the additional costs of taking your children overseas. You’ll need to consider how you would fund the additional costs involved like visas and flights, childcare or schooling costs, clothing, equipment and daily living costs for children.

To ensure you have considered all the implications of volunteering with dependents, if your skills are in demand, we’ll ask you to complete a short questionnaire and then invite you to a preliminary family interview prior to invitation to an assessment interview.

The good news is that if you decide to volunteer as a family you can have an amazing experience volunteering with VSO as in the case of the Cowan family who volunteered in Uganda in 2009/10.

Alan and Alison Cowan moved to Uganda with their three young daughters in June 2009 undertaking a range of work in the areas of health and education.

Alison is a GP who wanted to work in a developing country, to share her skills where they were greatly needed. She helped strengthen sexual and reproductive health services for vulnerable communities in Kampala.

Alan, previously a recruitment consultant, worked with schools and helped small local businesses, while the girls attended a school in Kampala.