On 2nd July I am due to be joining Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) to work in SE Tanzania for the next 2 years helping in a vocational training college.  I am asking if you will make a donation to the work of  VSO in Tanzania. 

VSO in Tanzania work in the areas of Health (including. HIV/AIDS), Education, Livelihoods and Governance.  VSO believes in the power of unpaid volunteers to bring about lasting change.  They currently have about 90 long term and 160 short term (mainly youth) international volunteers working in Tanzania. 

Please read my story below;

Did you know Tanzania has more wild animals per head of the population than any other African country?  But in the 2015 World human development index, Tanzania was ranked 151 from the top out of 188 countries.  Although 99% of children now register to start primary school only 1 in 30 complete secondary education.  This gives poor young people who want the available jobs in local modern industry, some particular problems.

  Why Tanzania?

As a family we have been sponsoring children in the developing world for over 30 years.  I went to Africa in 2007 to climb Kilimanjaro and meet two of those children.  For the first time the effects of poverty became very personal, but I was also making a big difference in their lives.

Since then I have been back to Africa three times helping various development charities.  Last year I took my motorbike from the Equator to Cape Agulhas through nine countries and covering 9,234 miles.  As well as adventure I went to visit new and ex-sponsored children but also to investigate Christian charities and Humanitarian NGOs that I would consider working for.

Because I was sponsoring a teacher working for VSO in Tanzania I visited their main office in Dar es Salaam.  I was very impressed with their work, it seemed well planned and effective.  They raised funding from the public, government grants and even commercial sponsorship.  In Tanzania, even after a good education, many young people cannot find employment at reasonable wages as they lack the vocational skills required by local industry that has to employ foreigners. After working in engineering training for many years, this was something I could help with.  When I came back from my trip I applied for a Professional volunteer post working for VSO Tanzania in the EEVT project (Enhancing Employability through Vocational Training) and was recently selected.  See link;

https://www.vsointernational.org/fighting-poverty/improving-livelihoods/enhancing-employability-through-vocational-skills-Tanzania

These donations are not for my personal support but for the work of VSO in Tanzania.  VSO work in 25 developing countries with volunteers helping partner organisations.  My VSO post will be unpaid, apart from a small local allowance. When working I have always self-funded my charitable and adventurous activities but now I will have to retire.  Please make a donation to the work of this wonderful organisation whose official vision is - for a world without poverty. 

In the past two of my children have been volunteers for the short term VSO programme (was global exchange now ICS) with Rachel working in Bahrain and David in Mongolia.