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When you are right at the start of your ICS journey fundraising can seem like a daunting challenge. Lots of volunteers feel that way, but by the end we find that most volunteers have put in to action some of the most creative and…

Last year was big for us. We celebrated the eighth year of ICS, getting more volunteers on placement and making more progress than ever before. Here were our highlights.

1. We discovered the hidden financial value of…

To celebrate the start of a new year, we wanted to share some inspiring stories to get us excited for the year ahead and everything we will achieve. We hear from Mahomed and Shanti, two ICS alumni who share their…

Whether you’re on track with your New Year resolutions or not, here’s 20 things you can do to make the world a better place this year. 

1. Start volunteering regularly  

If you’re no longer volunteering…

Whether you’re on track with your New Year resolutions or not, here’s 20 things you can do to make the world a better place this year.

1. Start volunteering regularly  

If you’re no longer volunteering,…

Below are the answers to some frequently asked questions. Greater detail on what is required throughout the volunteer journey can be found in the how it works section of the website.

If you can't find the answers to your…

To round off 2019, we want to take a moment to celebrate the power of volunteering: from normalising sexual health conversations in Zambia to using interactive theatre to tackle child marriage in Nepal.

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My name is Raabia Hussain. I was born Deaf and I've lived in Oldham all my life.

In my world, there is no sound.

British Sign Language is my first language…

Hundreds of volunteers entered. Thirty were shortlisted. Just five won.

From proud pictures of a Tanzanian youth group’s poetry performance to a cheeky snap of two counterparts in their…

There’s something interesting about 28-year-old tech entrepreneur Kennedy.

I think it’s the fact he manages to balance his quietly fierce entrepreneurial drive with a refusal to forget…

With rapid advances in technology and travel, for many of us it seems that the world is constantly getting smaller. Almost the whole world is connected, increasing our understanding, communication and collaboration with other…

We bring about change in partnership with local communities. We support the development of our young volunteers and we're creating a lasting legacy of active citizenship.

When James Boosey, 24, went to Uganda to volunteer four years ago, he hoped to build positive memories that would last a lifetime. Instead, shocked by his experience of seeing harmful orphanage volunteering, he came back to the UK…

Before moving the UK, Elena Ricci, 23, spent part of her childhood with her mother in Nigeria. It was here that Elena saw Western tourists coming into her community and volunteering in ways that weren’t…

One thing isn’t up for debate: volunteering can be an incredible, life-changing experience. But it’s also complex.

Done right, you can empower communities to make long-lasting, positive…

Small-scale farmers produce food for 70% of the global population. But as some of the world’s poorest and most food-insecure people, they’re a group facing the most immediate effects of climate change. In Kenya’s…

This summer, Deaf volunteers from the UK and Kenya came together in Nandi, 200 miles north of the capital, Nairobi.

Bringing different personal experiences of Deafness, these volunteers from two continents encouraged people across…

After Beth Adams, 22, finished her undergraduate degree she became aware of the politics of development. Thinking about the white saviour complex and neocolonialism, Beth began to question the previous volunteering abroad placement…

At ICS, we know that young people are an incredible force for change, pushing for progress all over the world. We also know there’s a lot of misinformation about youth volunteering. Here we debunk four common…

More than seven years of ICS, thousands of volunteers. But how much do you know about our work in Nepal? 

Back from placement and looking to move your career forward? Why not show employers how setting up girls’ clubs in Bangladesh makes you a great project manager? Or how delivering sexual health sessions in Kenya…

This week we're focusing on young people.

For International Youth Day, we've put on a series of global events in Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, the UK and Zambia, empowering young people to be active citizens on the issues…

This year’s UN International Youth Day theme is ‘transforming education’. Today, people across the world are showing how they’ve been improving education for the most marginalised.

But with 265 million…

From tackling child marriage and gender-based violence in his home country of Bangladesh, to an exciting new role engaging more young people in global issues, ICS alumni Joseph Mahtab is just one example of how…

Commissioned by VSO, and delivered by NEF Consulting, the ICS Social Return on Investment Evaluation explores the long term return on investment of youth volunteering, and the socio-economic value that volunteers…

For many young people, the gap between education and employment can be a tough one. In many countries, supporting youth into employment remains a priority but much more needs to be done. For example, 2018 saw…

On 10th August ICS is holding a Youth Employability and Skills (YES) event for UK-based Alumni. Of course, we think an event for young people, should be designed and run by young people – that’s why we have the…

The recipients of this years In-Country Alumni Grant have been announced and here at ICS, we are very excited to watch the progress that will be made by the 14 projects that will soon be carried out by ICVs.…

Volunteering overseas is a powerful way to tackle poverty and inequality. However, if volunteers don't make the right choice, they can find themselves in poorly-managed projects, inadvertently doing more harm…

From turning bread into beer, to conservation in Ecuador - we catch up with four ICS volunteers on the environmental work they are carrying out beyond their placements. 

All over the world, green innovations are shaping international development – from electric cars tackling Nairobi’s fuel dependency to training for rural Malawian mothers to become solar engineers. This month we…

When I was told I needed to raise £1500 I didn't think it would be possible but people have been so kind and generous and with just 5 different activities it didn’t take long at all to surpass this original target and raise £1564…

In the summer of 1990, healthcare worker Elaine Bhate left the UK with a midwifery qualification and a desire to use her skills in the majority world.

In 2018 – almost three decades…

When you think of the word ‘family’, what comes to mind?

For us – it’s our host families around the world, supporting ICS volunteers to get used to a new community when they’re tens, hundreds or thousands…

There's no doubt about the great work ICS is doing.

But we caught up with VSO’s Responsible Volunteering Specialist, Clare Hawkes, a long-term volunteer who teamed up with ICS…

The In-Country Volunteer (ICV) Alumni Grant is an innovative project kick-started by UK volunteers. We catch up with five former volunteers to see how they used the grant to create an inspiring change within…

When Vafie Sheriff didn’t get the grades to study medicine, he was gutted. But determined to not lose sight of his goal of improving healthcare and saving lives, he volunteered with ICS in Bangladesh on a project…

Did you know that young people can contribute to decision-making at the highest levels of the biggest charities around the world? For the past 18 months, Kenyan volunteer Felix Owino and British volunteer Takyiwa…

For the past month, I have challenged myself to live below £1.45 ($1.90) a day - the World Bank's arbitrary 'poverty line'. In a similar way to other physical/mental challenges undertaken by ICS volunteers, I have asked family and…

Gender equality is at the heart of many ICS projects, as well as the fifth Sustainable Development Goal. From Bangladesh to Zambia, we look at four different approaches young people are taking to encourage female…

Gloria and Selecia have achieved what they once thought was impossible and are proud owners of their own business in Mwanza, Tanzania. They explain how their ICS journey helped them get where they are today. …