WIREDGOV

Local VSO returned volunteers are urgently calling on their primary school colleagues across Derby to follow in their footsteps and spend just 20 minutes of their summer holiday applying to be a volunteer. The international development charity is looking for primary teachers who can share their skills across the developing world in 2010.

To ensure thousands of children across the developing world have access to quality education, VSO needs qualified primary school teachers with at least two years’ experience to volunteer their time and expertise in countries such as Malawi, Nepal and Ghana. By sharing skills with local teachers, VSO volunteers help to ensure more children experience inspiring, happy and lively classrooms.

Primary school teachers who apply this summer will be able to be overseas as early as January 2010. With many children in developing countries suffering because of poorly trained teachers, over crowded and under resourced classrooms, VSO volunteers help support hard hit communities by training local teachers. Working with a cluster of schools and local colleagues, volunteers observe lessons, run workshops, help teachers develop educational materials and focus on helping teachers use child centred teaching methods to help make the classroom a rewarding experience.

Volunteering with VSO can lead to rewarding and lasting relationships with local colleagues and allow volunteers to see first hand the impact of their placement and time overseas. VSO’s education volunteers are committed to supporting 2000’s Millennium Development Goal that all children of primary school age should have access to quality education by 2015.

VSO provides volunteers with flights, accommodation, and an allowance to cover basic costs. UK public sector professionals volunteering for between six months and two years are entitled to claim pension contributions providing they return to the public sector for a minimum of six months on their return to the UK.

Please contact Rachel Trayner on 0208 780 7265 or rachel.trayner@vso.org.uk

The Press Office can also provide:

• interviews with serving and former VSO primary education volunteers from your area

• interviews with VSO staff members who can provide information on VSO, and insight into the role of volunteering in international development

• recent photos and footage of VSO volunteers in action.
  

Editor's notes

VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers.  Since 1958 over 42, 000 volunteers have worked in over 120 countries.  Today there are over 1600 international volunteers working in 44 countries around the world.

VSO is currently recruiting primary school teachers for: Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Malawi, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Thailand. For placements in Cameroon and Rwanda, volunteers will be required to speak French.

VSO recruits volunteers from a wide range of professional backgrounds.  The strongest need is for experienced managers, professionals with experience of working in primary education, and doctors and midwives.  VSO can use financial professionals where they have strong planning or management expertise.
VSO needs to raise £10million each year in the UK in order to continue its vital work: working through volunteers to fight poverty in some of the world's poorest communities.

An average initial application of interest to VSO takes just 20 minutes to complete - please call 0208 780 7500 for more details.