VSO

Business and Social Development

VSO's work focuses on strengthening social infrastructures in developing countries. This calls for a wide range of skills and experience - from managers and marketing specialists to social workers and fundraising experts.

Most business and social development volunteers work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government bodies or educational institutions.

Because demand from overseas is constantly changing, we are always looking for volunteers to work in new and pioneering areas of social development. For example, we are receiving a growing number of requests for managers and advisors to work with HIV/AIDS organizations through VSO's Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA) program.

If you don't see your area of expertise listed here, please contact us.

Accountants	Relevant Degree and professional qualification (CA, CGA) with 2 years experience
Administrators	Degree/Diploma with 3 years experience
Business Advisers/Loan and Credit Advisers/ Business Advice Trainers	MBA, Degree, Business Studies or accounting background. Practical business development experience, management skills and the ability to train others. 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Community Workers	Community work qualification or Social Science degree with 2 years experience	View a sample placement
Editors	Degree with 2 years experience
Financial Managers	Degree or accounting qualification with 3 years experience
Graphic Designers	Degree/Diploma with 3 years experience
Hotel and Catering	Diploma with 2 years experience
Human Resources Manager	Degree with 3 years HR experience
Journalists	Degree with 5 years experience
Lawyers	Legal practitioner admitted to practice as a barrister and /or solicitor with 5 years experience	View a sample placement
Management Trainers (Gov't and NGOs)	Degree/Diploma, preferably in management or business studies with 3 years experience	View a sample placement
Marketing Advisors / Managers	Degree with 3 years experience	View a sample placement
Probation Officers	Qualified social worker with 2 years experience
Rural Planners	Degree with 2 years experience
Site Supervisors	Degree/Diploma with 2 years experience
Social Workers	BSw or MSw with 2 years experience -preferably with specialization i.e. disabilities, women, or mental health	View a sample placement
Statisticians/Statistics Lecturers/Researchers	Degree/Masters in Economics/Statistics with 4 years relevant experience
Town Planners	Degree with experience
Tourism Trainers / Advisors / Teachers	Degree/Diploma with 2 years experience
Youth Workers	Degree/Diploma with 2 years experience

Kathleen Pratt (London, Ontario) Social Services Advisor in Bulgaria
"Having chosen a career in social work, I'm dedicated to the achievement of social justice. I believe I'm extremely fortunate to be able to leave my comfortable life for an extended period of time - I'm compelled to share this gift by trying in my own small way, to make the world a better place."

Back to What Skills are Needed?

Sample Placements in Business and Social Development

The following job descriptions are examples of the type of placements that are requested by VSO's overseas partners. Since VSO works to place volunteers where they are most needed, we are not able to accept applications for specific placements.

Marketing Officer - South Africa

The Nations Trust [TNT] requests a qualified and experienced marketing specialist to develop its marketing and fundraising program. This placement is part of VSO's Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA) program. The length of placement is 2 years.

Key Responsibilities of the Volunteer:

To assist in maintaining and expanding the current donor base through initiating and consolidating relationships with existing and potential key partners
To ensure that TNT engages in a marketing program based on the promotion of its clients and their enterprises
To assist the Information Systems Manager with maintenance of the client database in a manner that produces marketable information
To liaise with the Development and Loan officers to assess what marketing initiatives can be undertaken to support the organization's clients
To promote and raise the organizational profile amongst strategic partners and the donor community
To draft reports and funding proposals, as well as research proposals
To work with colleagues to identify and implement appropriate HIV/AIDS related activities

The main purpose of this placement is to strengthen the capacity of the national office of The Nations Trust in terms of marketing, fundraising and research.

Location of Placement:

The volunteer will work at the TNT national office in Johannesburg. Housing will be provided in Melville, an area where many VSO volunteers live. Accommodation usually consists of a modest self-contained house or apartment with modern conveniences.

Social Work Advisor - Bosnia-Herzegovina

The Centre for Social Work (CSW), Trebinje requests a qualified and experienced social worker to develop training programs in social work methodology. CSWs are responsible for looking after the social needs of vulnerable people, including orphans, young offenders, people with disabilities and the elderly. The CSWs identify clients through regular home visits to families and through information received from cooperation networks (citizens, volunteers, and NGOs). Cases are also referred through schools, hospitals and the courts. The length of placement is one year.

Key Responsibilities of the Volunteer:

To develop new client research & needs analysis methods
To teach monitoring and evaluation of events and problems
To assist in developing new & improved client services
To organize social actions and develop social work in the community
To build the capacity of CSWs in lobbying and public advocacy
To support the management of social work

Location of Placement

The volunteer will be based in Trebinje, Bosnia-Herzegovina. VSO volunteers have been working in Bosnia-Herzegovina since 2000. The Centre for Social Work will provide accommodation, likely a self-contained apartment.

Project Development Adviser - Bangladesh

The Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) is an NGO that has been working to build the capacity of civil society organizations and networks since 1989. FIVDB requests a qualified and experienced NGO manager to strengthen its operations and programming. The length of placement is two years.

Key Responsibilities of the Volunteer:

To assess the organization, their current activities and needs and to document the outcome of the assessment
To assist in communicating the objectives, roles and responsibilities to other programs and units within the organization
To assist in setting up field-based participatory research
To train and assist colleagues with the analysis of data, using statistical packages (SPSS)
To facilitate the design and development of new projects based on research findings
To attend the quarterly volunteer team building and co-ordination workshops at PRIP to discuss issues, problems and experiences

Location of Placement:

For more information about VSO's work in Bangladesh, please visit the World of Opportunity page.

Office of the People's Lawyer - Kiribati

The Office of the People's Lawyer requests a qualified and experienced lawyer to provide supervision and support to junior lawyers in providing legal advice and representation to the people of Kiribati. The length of placement is two years.

Key Responsibilities of the Volunteer:

To supervise and support the junior lawyers in the office by monitoring their development and ensuring that they are getting sufficient experience in the major areas of legal practice
To strengthen the Office and encourage the promotion of the Office as a place where emerging lawyers want to work
To provide community legal literacy through clinics on Tarawa and outer islands, using media, and indirectly through government agencies and NGOs
To represent clients. The Office represents all clients on criminal charges in the High Court

The giving of free legal advice enables all Kiribati citizens to have access to legal representation which promotes the development of civil society. Legal literacy training promotes community-based development by giving information and skills to the community.

Location of Placement:

The volunteer will live on South Tarawa, one of the islands that makes up Kiribati, a string of 33 atoll islands in the South Pacific. Volunteers in Kiribati usually share housing, but the volunteer will have his or her own bedroom.

Project Co-ordinator - Zambia

Shelter Africa is committed to working with the urban and rural poor. It provides health and education services in two locations in Zambia, one urban (Chilanga) and one rural (Kasisi), near Lusaka. Shelter Africa also helps people develop small-scale income generation projects. Shelter Africa works through compound committees and tries to involve the local people in the organization and delivery of various projects. The length of placement is two years.

Shelter Africa requests a qualified and experienced project coordinator to undertake the following placement.

Key Responsibilities of the Volunteer:

To work with the Coordinator to ensure the efficient day-to-day running, management, monitoring and evaluation of the projects in the two compounds (Chilanga and Kasisi). These projects include: nutrition education and supplementary feeding, HIV/AIDS education, home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS, reproductive health/family planning, orphan care and support, small scale income generation projects

Location of Placement:

The volunteer will be based in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. Lusaka is a sprawling city with many multistory buildings, high-walled suburbs and busy shanty towns. The volunteer will be provided with a modest self-contained house.

Business Management Advisor - Kenya

The Kapseret Community Development Group requests a qualified business manager with experience in dairy management/marketing to develop efficient procedures and organizational structure at the dairy plant in Kapseret Village. This placement aims to build the capacity of the plant and improve the economic status of individuals and families through improved sales of their dairy products. The length of placement is two years.

Key Responsibilities of the Volunteer:

To manage dairy plant resources by analyzing current usage and initiating effective use of existing and potential resources
To develop and implement financial, administrative and control systems, procedures and processes
To ensure that the highest standard of dairy production, processing and marketing services are developed and maintained
To develop an appropriate organizational structure, including implementing human resource policies and initiatives
To promote and maintain a corporate profile for the plant

Location of Placement:

The Kapseret dairy plant is located in Uasin Gishu District on Kenya's highland plateau, about 2,085 m above sea level. The volunteer will be based in Eldoret, Kenya's fourth largest town, which has many urban facilities including a supermarket, banks and rail/air links to Nairobi. A modest self-contained house will be provided.