sustainablity & Development
OUR ETHOS
CONNECT
We are a not-for-profit NGO connecting skilled volunteers to the projects where they’re needed most.
exchange
We provide safe and ethical volunteer programmes focused on skills-based learning and cultural exchange.
experience
Volunteers will collaborate with local professionals, gaining practical field experience and making a real difference in developing communities.
fund
Our volunteer programmes provide our projects with a sustainable source of donations and funding.
Local Ownership
Vocational Impact is committed to international development and working with key community stakeholders to improve the capacity and sustainability of all our project partners. We work in a circular economic way, meaning we invest directly back into the charities we work with.
All our projects are founded, managed and developed by locals. We work with partner organisations that are specialists in the areas they operate. Our partners are selected because of the important work they are doing and they are run by impressive humanitarians and professionals in their fields. We are committed to providing essential funding to support our partner’s community programmes and development projects, as well as creating reliable and sustainable funding plans.
direct funding
VI invest straight back into the projects we send volunteers to; helping them grow, access skilled local staff, and provide crucial funds for projects like women’s empowerment, child protection, mental health, legal aid, education, healthcare and community development initiatives.
We are passionate about building sustainable and ethical volunteer programmes where our project partners receive educated and eager-to-learn students and professionals, while volunteers will gain valuable work experience, career-enhancing opportunities and life-changing personal growth.
We are a not-for-profit NGO led organisation and our goal is to provide developmental support to our partner projects. We are act on the guidance and needs that our local project partners and communities identify, and we help connect skilled students and volunteers to the projects where they can have the most impact.
Accountability
As Vocational Impact operates under the UK-registered charity Arms Around The Child, we adhere to their accountability, monitoring and evaluation protocols. Therefore, we are governed by the UK Charity Commission, a Trust Deed, and a Board of Trustees, who have legal obligations to oversee our operations.
Each partner organisation we work with is registered in their own country. These are governed by their own country’s regulations. Each country has their guidelines and we do not partner with any organisation that isn’t a registered organisation or recognised charity/NGO.
We ensure a yearly visit to all our project partners to continue to build relationships, develop trust and spend time with them. We find new projects based on local suggestions and connections. We evaluate their aims, objectives and goals and listen to their needs. We then design placements around their key objectives, finding students and volunteers who are focusing on that key area or have an interest in exchanging knowledge, skills and resources.
Ultimately we are guided by our volunteers. Volunteer feedback is a fundamental part of our accountability and review process. From the moment a volunteer joins VI, we maintain an open and transparent dialogue. We will be in regular communication with volunteers and our project managers while you are on placement. When volunteers return we request detailed feedback on your experience. This way we can evaluate your experience, from your placement activities to your favourite trips, and we can learn directly from you and act accordingly.
AATC charity registration number: 1123038 | AATC USA charity register: 501c3
SUSTAINABILITY
Vocational Impact takes sustainability very seriously. We are guided by the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Goals and work towards implementing sustainable initiatives at all of our community projects.
FOCUS
Poverty
Vocational Impact works with carefully selected communities in Africa and India. We have built relationships with projects, NGOs and charities for more than 30 years. We have been committed to supporting these projects for many years and have worked with in-country management and staff to provide an increased quality of life for the communities the projects serve. We are particularly focused on development for the poorest in society and have worked on many initiatives to build local innovation and support people to break the poverty cycle.
Hunger
By providing the projects we partner with a regular financial income, they can feed many people and children in their local communities. This is done through community outreach initiatives, as well as setting up community food hubs and supplying food and emergency packages to those most in need at weekly gatherings in the heart of rural and vulnerable communities.
Good health/Well being
Vocational Impact works with local medical staff in hospitals and health clinics, providing equipment and income to support the ongoing in-country health goals. We have created sustainable partnerships with hospitals to provide exchange programmes and practical medical experiences for students, graduates and volunteers from all around the world. We support community outreach work for advocacy and awareness around issues such as access to healthcare, mental health and well-being, HIV/AIDS awareness, human rights, gender-based violence and criminal justice reform.
Education
We are committed to increasing access to good quality education at all of our partner projects. We have supported and funded new school buildings being constructed and commissioned, as well as organised school talks about sexual health and mental health among other awareness topics. Vocational Impact volunteers have worked with local staff to provide community education as part of outreach initiatives and education programmes.
Gender equality
Vocational Impact is committed to gender equality and the promotion of equal opportunities with all the projects we partner with. We are passionate about making sure young girls receive education and we have women's empowerment programmes we support in India, Ghana & South Africa. We continue to support and organise gender equality workshops, particularly focusing on issues such as gender-based violence, sexual violence, and child and teenage pregnancy, and we work with schools, teen groups and communities to explore understanding around these issues.
Clean water/sanitation
We have worked tirelessly to install running water at all our projects for local residents to utilise. We helped fund and organise a community project in Ghana to dig a borehole for access to clean drinking water. We support critical funding at all of our partner projects, which involves paying water bills to ensure access to water for everyone.
Decent work/economic growth
Vocational Impact partners with local employers to offer opportunities to train and seek better work positions. We offer structured career development and invest in the local development goals set out by the in-country management teams. We employ local staff to manage our volunteer programmes and invest directly in local organisations to provide training and work experiences for our volunteers.
Sustainable communities
VI invest straight back into the projects we send volunteers to; helping them grow, access skilled local staff, and provide crucial funds for projects and development initiatives. We have built sustainable and ethical volunteer programmes where our project partners receive educated and eager-to-learn students and professionals, while volunteers will gain valuable work experience, career-enhancing opportunities and life-changing personal growth.
Responsible consumption and reduction
Vocational Impact is committed to and focused on sustainable tourism. We believe volunteering is an important source of foreign exchange and employment while being closely linked to the social, economic, and environmental well-being of many countries, especially developing countries. We follow the World Tourism Organisation's definition of sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities".
Global partnerships
Our global partners form the backbone of our organisation and international development efforts. We are guided by their ambitions for growth and development and Vocational Impact strives to fulfil their needs by direct funding and skills exchange. We work with organisations to help manage projects and to work towards building capacity to reach a larger portion of the community and those who need support.
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