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18-year-old Kathryn Cook from Cambridgeshire is a VSO ICS volunteer based in Jatan, India. The placement is working towards female and youth empowerment, and to improving the government-run nurseries. Kathryn…

This year’s been big for ICS. Around the world, volunteers like you have worked in communities from Nepal to Nicaragua, supporting people living in some of the most challenging circumstances.

Here are just some of our…

Are you in the midst of an ICS fundraising frenzy? Have you planned an amazing event and want to get some extra support?

Engaging with the media is a good way to let more people know what you’re doing and why, and might…

Takyiwa Danso, 25, London

Takyiwa has extensively campaigned and advocated for youth participation in key…

DO set up a JustGiving page

Check out our JustGiving guidance for help.

The International Citizen Service (ICS) photography competition captures the impact and experiences of youth volunteers working in some of the poorest communities in Africa, Asia and Latin…

Every year, International Citizen Service (ICS) runs a Photo Competition, to capture the experience of volunteers as they go on placements around the world, living and working in the communities and working on…

*UPDATE*

Unfortunately we are unable to offer placements in Malawi in 2019.*

Placements are available in:

Bangladesh Cambodia Kenya  Nepal Tanzania Uganda Zambia

*If you have already been placed,…

*UPDATE*

Unfortunately we are unable to offer placements in Rwanda in 2018-19.*

Placements are available in:

Bangladesh Cambodia Kenya Malawi Nepal Tanzania Uganda

*If you have already been placed, your…

*UPDATE*

Unfortunately we are unable to offer placements in Ethiopia in 2018-19.*

Placements are available in:

Bangladesh Cambodia Kenya Malawi Nepal Tanzania Uganda

*If you have already been placed, your…

24-year-old Irene Duhuzukuri from southern Rwanda was one of the country’s first team leaders with ICS. After learning vital business and management skills, he went on to set up his own conservation project, creating green jobs,…

For Matt Morrison, an ICS placement in Burundi was the starting point on a journey that would see him studying development in India, supporting refugees in France and working with the homeless in his hometown of…

PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS FOR ICS VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS. FOR A MEDIA STATEMENT, PLEASE CONTACT THE VSO PRESS OFFICE ON 020 8780 7530.

 

For all our volunteers and supporters: response to the National…

Jess Hankins volunteered last year as a team leader with VSO ICS in Kwali, Nigeria, and is now back at university studying for a Masters in global development and gender. Here, she reflects on how the impact of ICS volunteers leads…

Last year, team of deaf VSO ICS volunteers from the UK worked alongside deaf local volunteers in the Nandi region of Kenya, where they established free sign language sessions and support classes for deaf children…

This month, we’ve received over 300 amazing entries for the ICS Photo Competition, capturing some of the most unique moments from your placements around the world.

Six lucky winners of…

Interested in holding a pub quiz to raise some funds but not sure how? Follow this simple step by step guide below and watch the £££ come rolling in!

Inspired by his time volunteering overseas and tackling poverty in Bangladesh with Y Care International, Alex Edge was keen to work with young people on his return to the UK. This experience led him to become a…

Limited departures remaining in 2018, so apply today to…

A few years ago, life looked pretty bleak for Londoner Danial William. He’d had several exclusions from school, been in trouble with the police and was hanging out with a bad crowd.  Now 21, he is employed by…

Volunteers Preeti Bhandari and Tara Leanne Hall worked to tackle female health issues in the rural community of Khurkot in the Sindhuli district of Nepal.

In this blog they tell us how…

A year ago, Shapla, a 14-year-old Bangladeshi girl who used the lessons she'd learned from VSO ICS volunteers to convince her dad not to marry her off to a 37-year-old man.

One year on, we are delighted…

It’s fair to say it’s unlikely that 25-year-old civil engineer; Benon Kwikiriza, from rural Uganda and accountant Faysal Ahmed, 26, from Oldham, would have met. But this week, they’ve become the 30,000th young…

When Jake Neal, 20, first came across the idea of volunteering abroad on a three month ICS placement with Raleigh, his first thoughts were “Oh, that sounds interesting, I should have a look.”

25 year-old Fidele Gisore has just completed a three month programme volunteering with Challenges Worldwide on the ICS scheme in Kigali, Rwanda.

While on placement, Fidele worked closely with his British…

Ever thought how your selfie can help you fundraise? This blog gives you the lowdown on how to get great photos that will help you boost your fundraising and even how to turn them into a fundraising activity!

International Citizen Service (ICS) is a once-in-a-lifetime volunteering opportunity open to all 18-25 year olds, funded by the UK Government. Over 12,000 UK young people have taken part.

It's a…

Last year it was reported in the national media that, early in her career, Education Secretary Justine Greening had been turned down for a job in finance after leaving university because she hadn’t taken a gap…

Matthew Collier, 19, from Brighton, was always worried his dyslexia would hold him back from getting ahead. Now back from his Challenges Worldwide ICS placement in Lusaka, Zambia, he’s got a new lease of life and…

Rosie Coleman, 25, from London, took a big risk – to leave the high-flying London job she wasn’t enjoying to apply for ICS. Two placements with Challenges Worldwide later, she’s back in her home city – but with a…

As well as bringing about change in the lives of people in local communities, ICS furthers volunteers’ learning and personal development.

Volunteers benefit from comprehensive training as part of the…

The impact of ICS endures beyond the placement.

91% of volunteers (UK and in-country) say that their attitudes towards social action has changed as a result of taking part in ICS. With two thirds of…

ICS volunteers support the work of dedicated partners on the ground. 92% agree that volunteers make a serious and positive contribution to this work. 

Recent impact

In the past year, over 6,500 ICS…

Supporting development work on the ground, developing young volunteers and building a legacy of active citizenship. We're proud of the difference we're making.

Find out more about our impact:…

For years, the media’s outdated perception of poverty has defined how the world has understood international development. But young people across the globe are changing that. This International Day for the…

Globally, over 10% of people on Earth live under the poverty line. That’s over 10% of people for whom accessing quality education, health services and clean drinking water are a challenge and who are vulnerable…

Life can be stressful, but your ICS fundraising doesn’t have to be. We want you to make the most of this opportunity and enjoy every second! So sit back and have a gander at our top tips for stress free fundraising.

Sign up to the ICS newsletter – our free monthly email update.

Every month we’ll update you with stories about ICS volunteers and the impact they are making, selected opportunities and ways in which you can contribute to…

“I’m a different person now,” says 19-year-old VSO ICS volunteer Georgia Deegan. She’s been back just two weeks in the UK after spending three months in the rural Nigerian village of Oke Ode. We caught up with…

You must read these terms and conditions before entering.  

The competition is being run by VSO on behalf of the ICS programme. The winner will be chosen based on the opinion of a judging panel. The…

You've got five separate categories to choose from - with videos being entered in their own category. Read the descriptions and check out some of the winning photos below then click here to submit your entry.…

Open to all ICS volunteers and alumni around the world, we’re looking for entries that capture the best and brightest moments from your placements.

To enter

Click here to enter your photo.

The…

In this 360° video take a look at some of the amazing things Naseem did on placement in Kenya - compared to life back at home in Newcastle.

Use your mouse to scroll around the video:

For many people across Nigeria, rain is a blessing. But for students and teachers at Igangan High School in the west of the country, they dread it. 

That’s because for the last year, their school has been…

Hi. I'm Naseem.

I'm 19 and from Newcastle. This year my life was changed forever when I went to live in Loitokitok, Kenya for three months as an ICS volunteer.

Whenever there have been opportunities, I've always been one…

19-year-old Naseem Haque from Newcastle really has made the most of his year off. Having earned a place studying Computer Games Programming at Newcastle University, he wanted to use his time in a meanginful way…