CUSO-VSO vs Peace Corps
CUSO-VSO accepts both Americans and Canadians as volunteers. So is CUSO-VSO a Canadian version of the US Peace Corps?
CUSO (now CUSO-VSO) was founded in 1961, the same year as the Peace Corps in the United States. They both send volunteers abroad. However, while CUSO-VSO gets funding from the Canadian government, it is not a branch or agency of the government like the Peace Corps is in the U.S. CUSO-VSO is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO).
Both organizations require most volunteers to have some type of academic qualification as well as two to three years expertise in their field. CUSO-VSO does not require applicants to have a particular citizenship, while Peace Corps accepts only U.S. Citizens. CUSO-VSO will make an effort to place self-defined couples together, while Peace Corps requires couples to be recognized as married under Federal law.
The average age of volunteers placed through the Peace Corps is 28, while the average CUSO-VSO volunteer is 42 years of age. Peace Corps does not allow dependents to accompany volunteers. CUSO-VSO recognizes that there are benefits for all involved when children accompany a volunteer on placement. CUSO-VSO will make every effort to find a suitable placement for selected volunteers with children, recognizing that appropriate placements may be limited.
To find out more about the differences between CUSO-VSO and the Peace Corps, download this background document.
