14 March 2008
International Development Secretary, Douglas Alexander, today announced the next step to opening up volunteering opportunities to people in all parts of British society.
Mr Alexander committed £3 million over three years to support an initiative to encourage people from diaspora communities to get involved in volunteering to help fight poverty in developing countries.
The funding, from the Department for International Development (DFID), will support and help develop, an initiative run by VSO. The boost to VSO’s scheme comes in the week when they are celebrating their 50th anniversary.
Douglas Alexander said:
"One of the most effective ways to fight global poverty is to get people more personally involved. Volunteering provides an opportunity for those with the skills, energy and enthusiasm to give, and to get, valuable experience and make a contribution to improve the lives of others.
"People from diaspora communities are under-represented as volunteers, which is a lost opportunity. But this new support will help encourage greater involvement. Volunteers coming back to the UK will not only bring new skills and experiences but also have a stronger voice in their communities in generating support for the fight against poverty."
Shahid Malik, International Development Minister and the UK’s first Muslim Minister, welcomed the new support for the initiative. He said:
"The UK’s diaspora communities have a tremendous wealth of experience and understanding of issues relating to global poverty to offer. Greater support for VSO’s scheme will provide a fantastic opportunity to capture this, and help get more passionate and committed people into the fight against poverty.
"The UK also stands to benefit from those who choose to volunteer overseas, as they return with more personal insight into the problems that the poorest people in the world face every day. They will also help to raise awareness and generate more support for our shared aim of eliminating poverty in the developing world."
Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of VSO, said:
"VSO welcomes this scheme as a bold initiative which builds on proven success. VSO has been running its own diaspora pilot with a range of African and Asian organisations for the last three years and have seen the contribution that the British based diaspora can offer in making their skills and expertise available to their countries of heritage. The scheme is a positive and professional way of engaging the commitment of a valuable section of the British community."
Support for this initiative is part of the Government’s backing to increase opportunities for volunteering, and follows on from a new scheme, Platform2, announced last month to offer young adults from less advantaged backgrounds the opportunity to live, work and learn about life in a developing country and raise awareness of global issues in the UK.
Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, will speak at VSO’s 50th anniversary celebrations at the Royal Festival Hall on 15 March.
DFID support for VSO’s diaspora volunteering scheme will involve an initial financial contribution of £3 million over three years. DFID will work with VSO to develop the scheme further to draw volunteers from the widest possible audience.
DFID has a long and close association with VSO, both through the provision of strategic funding and at an operational level worldwide. VSO is the largest UK based international volunteer sending agency. VSO volunteers are no longer school-leavers - today the average age of a volunteer is 38 - the majority coming from skilled, professional backgrounds. Most placements are for two years, but can also be as short as 2 weeks with volunteers being provided with accommodation and a local level allowance as well as air fares and insurance. There are almost 1,500 skilled professionals currently working in 34 countries.
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