CUSO-VSO and you
Is CUSO-VSO right for me?
Being a CUSO-VSO volunteer requires professional and personal commitment, flexibility and adaptability to handle new situations and challenges, and the ability to live and work in another culture with an approach that values two-way learning and mutual respect.
What if I am a person with disabilities?
CUSO-VSO welcomes applications from people with disabilities and seeks to enable you to fully participate in our volunteer assessment process.
For this reason, we request that you inform us of your needs prior to attending an assessment day. The assessment day usually requires some physical activity and we request that applicants with restricted mobility notify us in advance so that appropriate arrangements can be made. A reader and writer service and sign language interpreters can be arranged upon request.
What's the value of serving as an overseas volunteer?
In the words of a former volunteer:
"While CUSO-VSO provides support such as free housing and health coverage, you earn a local salary and live modestly. Your flexibility, adaptability and capacity to learn are constantly tested. Volunteering overseas is an unimaginably rich opportunity for personal growth. Surmounting daily challenges, growing as an individual and developing strong working and social relationships are profoundly satisfying elements of an overseas volunteer’s personal experience."
Professionally, you both hone your skills and learn new ones. Volunteer placements often afford you the opportunity to try out new ideas, be resourceful, show initiative and lead. Combined with the fact that diversity is highly valued in the North America workplace, a rich overseas experience looks good on a resume. Some of our returned volunteers have said that when their employers were reviewing applicants, it was their overseas experience that made them stand out.
Volunteering overseas can connect you to like-minded people with development organizations in Canada and around the world. Fundraising to support your placement (and projects you may undertake in-country) expands your contact network and visibility, further paving the way for career opportunities.
