VSO Volunteering Experience
VSO Volunteering played a significant role in my life. It gave me a new perspective and helped me figure out my passion.
In 2019, I got the chance to work with VSO, an international organization. They hired around 40 Bangladeshi and 40 UK volunteers to work in rural villages and bring positive change while facilitating cultural exchange.
I was in the Birampur Team with 18 other Bengali and UK volunteers. The ratio was 50-50. We had three months to bring change in SRHR, Livelihood, and Social Justice in the area.
We divided into three teams. I chose the livelihood project, thinking this was where I could bring real-time and instant life-changing progress to society.
In the first few days, we contacted previous volunteers who had served there for this project. Then we conducted a survey, asking what type of training or projects would help them live a better life. We also visited the local Union Representative to determine what support they could provide.
After collecting all the data, we planned to provide
“Mobile Servicing” training for youth,
“Tailoring” training for women, and
“Animal Rearing & Better Farming Processes” training for farmers.
The animal rearing project was provided by the local government, and we paid for the other two.
We also organized a Community Action Day, which served as a vibrant platform for engagement and awareness. This event brought together local residents and high-ranking government officials for meaningful interactions. We used this opportunity to spread important messages about issues like early marriage prevention and environmental conservation. To create a festive atmosphere and encourage participation, we incorporated games and music into the program. This approach made the event both informative and enjoyable for all attendees.
After the training period, we organized an “Entrepreneurs Meetup” event, where we invited successful people from those training areas to motivate participants.
We provided sewing machines, mechanical tools, and poultry to the top 3 from each training to help them start their own businesses. Local mobile servicing shops, poultry farms, and agriculture offices helped us arrange jobs for our trainees.
Besides these efforts, we looked for other organizations to help create a smoother agricultural environment and strengthen farmer-local market relations. We found that RDRS and VSO teams were already working on that.
This experience is where I discovered my passion. I realized I enjoy supporting illiterate farmers. Even though they have been farming for generations, they are not always doing it efficiently. They have mentors provided by the government but often don’t or can’t access them. They need monthly guidance and lack access to modern farming technologies. Most of the time, they can’t preserve grain for better market prices. Although some organizations are working on these issues, vast areas are still left behind.
IFARMER, a Bangladeshi Asian startup, is doing great work with farmers. More organizations like IFARMER, World Vision, and RDRS can boost our economy by supporting farmers to get their fair rights, access to modern technology, opportunities to experiment with unique harvesting techniques, and the chance to live better lives.
Additionally, I wanted to see what else the local government provides, how waste management solutions are implemented, and what people think about early marriage. So, I joined other teams’ projects as well.
This experience was eye-opening. Now I realize that sustainable development, teaching youth, and working on environmental and agricultural issues are what truly inspire me. These areas align with my values and skills, and I’m eager to contribute more in these fields. I feel motivated to continue making a positive impact, particularly in rural communities, and I look forward to pursuing opportunities that allow me to work on these important challenges.
