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More than a quarter of the world’s countries belong to the Commonwealth.

It’s a diverse network that spans the global north and south. It’s a unique platform that can influence decisions affecting a huge…

I live in Uganda. As a woman here, 60% of us have experienced violence in our lifetime. One in five of us have suffered physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in the last year. And one in four in…

It’s that time of year again! A year of skipping lectures to have a lovely lie in and putting off essays to the last minute comes back to bite. EXAMS!! But, fear not! With a little careful planning and creativity there’s no reason…

At 18, Keah Mcilwain was volunteering with ICS in Nepal when the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the remote village of Sotipasal, in the central district of Lamjung. Keah and her fellow volunteers…

Sign up below to register for tickets Global Citizen Live on 17 April at the 02 Academy Brixton in London.

Tickets are allocated on a first come first serve basis. 

 

Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately all…

Before I volunteered with VSO ICS in 2015, I was completely lost.

I had no sense of direction, no focus, and the future for me was blurred. Although I’d graduated from university, I didn’t know where to…

Your story is more likely to be published in your local media if you provide up to three images with your press release, in which you can be clearly seen. 

Please upload your photos to Imgur or a similar…

Every year the WOW Festival at London’s Southbank brings together some of the world’s most inspiring women to take a closer look at the issues affecting women globally and celebrate the leaps being made to tackle…

© Bright Bosu-Tekpor Bright installed a well in his local community to ensure they have access to safe…

VSO ICS alumni Deborah Torr, 24, never expected the light-hearted water saving campaign she started while at university to attract so much international media attention.

Sign up below to register for tickets Global Citizen Live on 17th April at the 02 Academy Brixton in London.

Tickets are allocated on a first come first serve basis. 

Thanks for registering your place for the ICS Celebration Event on 12 Aug in Birmingham.

We'll be announcing more details by email over the next month as our youth steering group decide the details.…

So this is it. You’ve got your ICS place, you smashed the assessment day and even managed to get your vaccinations without too much of a fuss. You feel invincible!

Then you take a look at your Just Giving page and it’s not…

When you think of a board of trustees, what image comes to mind? A middle-aged white man?

Well, that’s grounded in some truth. A 2017 study looking at charity trusteeships in the UK found that of 3,500…

When Nigerian ICS volunteer Kenechukwu 'KC' Ogbuagu, 25, started West Africa’s first board game convention back in 2016, he knew he was onto something big. Two years and his first crowdfunded event later and he’s…

© ICS / VSO / Peter Caton Volunteer Samira's found her calling in supporting the voiceless…

Returning volunteers can get support from their sending agency. If you need to re-connect with your sending agency you can find contact details below:

Balloon Ventures:

Balloon Ventures contact page

Email: info@…

Get some inspiration for your Action at Home:

While on ICS you’ll have found yourself getting passionate about causes that matter to you. It’s important that when you get home this passion doesn’t stop.

Raising awareness about international, national and local issues…

So you’re back home after your placement and raring to go! Well, fundraising is one of the best ways to support a charity you care about. And there’s no doubt you can do it – you’ve already fundraised for your…

Are you a budding entrepreneur? Do you want to change the world for the better? Why not start a social enterprise.

Social enterprises tackle social and environmental issues with commercial strategies –…

As you’ll know from your own placement, volunteering is a great way to work directly with those affected by local issues. It’s really rewarding to make a difference to the lives of those in your home community as…

Engaging with the media is a great way to share your ICS story, raise awareness about development issues and increase support for positive development.

Telling your own personal ICS story is one of the…

Rebecca Pearce spent three months volunteering in Tanzania with Raleigh International. While she was there, she used her love for photography to capture moments in her host home and her project, leaving them…

With so much political upheaval at the minute, countries are looking inward to focus on domestic concerns, and so there’s less interest in global issues like poverty. It’s important to get international…

Campaigning is all about creating change, and can be one of the most effective ways to achieve your aims. It can give a voice to those without one, or bring people together to rally behind a particular cause.…

So as some/most/all of you will be aware, the biggest holiday cash-cow is fast approaching, and we want you to have a slice of the takings. That is right, Valentine’s Day is happening on Wednesday February 14th. Here are a few…

Every single ICS placement is different. Whether its because it’s based in a new setting, that you will meet new people, or work on different projects that will challenge you. But the one that’s for sure – is…

Selling cakes, car boot sales, dinner parties and bucket collections. Whatever the idea, whatever the season, ICS volunteers are engaged in fundraising. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why you fundraise and what you really…

For Paul Asiawon, 24, ICS taught him to see disability in a different way. After spending his International Service ICS placement supporting other people with disabilities to fully engage with the community, he’s…

Money makes the world go round. With entrepreneurship making up one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, doing business responsibly is key to creating lasting change.

For Matthew, Jennifer, Luis and…

We followed a group of ICS volunteers on their placement in Ashanti, Ghana. Here is some of the things they they got up to...

Supporting the community

All volunteers on placement work to  support a local…

When Kenyan VSO ICS volunteer Felix Owino, 26, visited London last month as part of his new role as Youth Advisor to the VSO Board, he saw something he wasn’t expecting to see.

People with no home, living…

Welcome to 2018. 

Do you have any New Year resolutions?

Maybe you’ve resolved to do something to tackle a global problem like climate change, or something to improve your local…

Can’t keep your new year’s resolution? Use your Fundraising Support Team’s new year’s resolutions to keep your fundraising on track!

Having volunteered with Tearfund ICS once, Mtambo returned as an ICS Team Leader in the summer of 2015. He led a team of UK and South African volunteers in the township of Chesterville, near Durban. The…

22-year-old Charlotte Curry from Langport, Somerset will be having a rather different Christmas dinner this year – swapping her sister’s thai curry for a traditional Nepalese meal while on her VSO ICS placement…

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 currently unable to offer placements in Ethiopia.

Placements are available in:

Bangladesh Cambodia Kenya Nepal Tanzania Uganda Zambia

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,…