Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Vision Aid Overseas

Helping the world to see...

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Donate
  • Twitter
Menu
  • About us
    • Our vision
    • Our history
    • Our team
    • Governance
    • News
    • Contact us
    • Jobs
  • Our work
    • How we work
    • Where we work
    • Theory of Change
    • Real stories
  • You can help
    • Donate
      • Donate now
      • Leave a Legacy
      • Become a regular giver
      • Gift aid declaration form
    • Fundraise
      • Events
        • Take part in a challenge event
        • Organise your own event
        • Set up a fundraising page
      • Appeals
        • Give The Gift of Glasses
        • Vision For A Village
        • World Sight Day 2021
    • Become a member
    • Become a partner
      • Partner with us
      • Fundraise as a company
    • Support A School
  • Volunteer
    • About volunteering
    • FAQs volunteering
    • Volunteer opportunities
  • Recycle
    • Vision Aid Overseas' Position Statement on Recycling
    • Recycling Closure FAQs
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • About volunteering
  1. Volunteer

About volunteering

Our vision is a world where no one lives in poverty because of poor eyesight and no one lives with poor eyesight because of poverty. Our mission is to enable people living in poverty to access affordable spectacles and eye care.

VAO’s volunteers help deliver on its vision and mission.

Our volunteer model:

  • Supports the Global Standard for Volunteering for Development.
  • Is driven by the needs of the country partners we work with to help them build robust eye care services.
  • Supports the needs of our charity; VAO receives flexible and varying support from volunteers.
  • Has a range of volunteering roles.

Read these documents to find out more

VAO’s Position on Professional Volunteering (Summary version)

This is the best place to learn more, quickly, and includes a helpful statement around outreach.

VAO’s Position on Professional Volunteering (Full version)

This longer paper captures more detail around our latest review process, our research, and the evidence based recommendations that were approved by VAO's Board in 2019.

Global Standard for Volunteering for Development - published by The International Forum for Volunteering in Development (Forum).

VAO has signed a declaration to support the standard and so our future volunteering roles will align to its recommendations for best practice.

Become involved to help the world to see

It is very important to us that you are a Member of VAO. This is a good way to remain involved with the work of VAO and to stay up to date. And it’s a valuable way to ‘help the world to see’ via regular subscription fees, which are used to fund charitable activities in Africa and change thousands of lives.

Our pledge to sharing information about how we work and its impact

We publish the details of all the main restricted grant funds we receive for our country programmes on our website, so everyone can clearly see what activities VAO is under agreement to deliver in the countries in which we work.

Volunteer Roles

Please see our Volunteer Opportunities page for any current volunteering opportunities.

Have questions?

Look first at our FAQs to see if your questions are answered. 

Need to contact us?

Please email [email protected] in the first instance.

Real Stories

See Real Stories for the changes made to people's lives.

 

Published: 26th July, 2016

Updated: 10th March, 2021

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Ahalya Subramanian

    Ahalya Subramanian

  • We have moved offices!

    We have moved offices!

    We moved offices! We are still in the area, but please take note of our new address if you wish to send donations to us. Remember that you are welcome to use Free Post to Vision Aid Overseas.

  • Tony Hulton

    Tony Hulton

  • Go for Glasses 2022

    Go for Glasses 2022

    Go for Glasses is be back this spring 2021! Go for Glasses is our flexible fundraising challenge, which means you can take part anywhere doing what you like the most!

Related

  • Training Courses

    Training Courses

    If you are an Optometrist or Dispensing Optician your skills could help change lives. Find out more at our one-day volunteer training course.

  • Where we work

    Where we work

    Africa has 73% more blind and visually impaired people than any other region in the world. Vision Aid Overseas works with local governments and community groups across four countries in Africa to ensure they establish and deliver their own sustainable eye care services. Find out more...

  • Testimonials

    Testimonials

    See what our volunteers had to say about their time volunteering with Vision Aid Overseas and it changed their lives and the lives of their patients.

Most read

  • Recycling Closure FAQs

    Recycling Closure FAQs

    Our recycling scheme is now permanently closed down, however, here are some of the answers to the most frequent questions we have been asked.

  • Donate and make a difference

    Donate and make a difference

    Every person deserves the right to clear vision. Donate today and help transform lives through the gift of clear vision.

  • Vision Aid Overseas' Position Statement on Recycling

    Vision Aid Overseas' Position Statement on Recycling

    Understand more about why Vision Aid Overseas is closing its recycling scheme in 2020 and learn more about the decision making process.

  • Our vision

    Our vision

    No one lives in poverty because of poor eyesight; no one lives with poor eyesight because of poverty.

  • About volunteering

    About volunteering

    You can help the world to see by volunteering with VAO.

  • Vision Aid Overseas' glasses recycling scheme permanently closed in 2020

    Vision Aid Overseas' glasses recycling scheme permanently closed in 2020

    Vision Aid Overseas has ended its recycling scheme in the UK and will no longer accept used spectacles from the public, optical sector, and community groups.

  • Chief Executive Officer

    Chief Executive Officer

  • Zambia

    Zambia

    Surrounded by some of Africa’s most beautiful landscapes, Zambia has only 15 qualified optometrists for a population of 17 million people.

  • Our history

    Our history

    Now over 30 years old Vision Aid Overseas was founded by UK optometrists who wanted to donate their time and expertise to enable some of the worlds poorest people see properly so that children and their parents could learn, earn and build a better life.

  • Fundraising Team

    Fundraising Team

Latest tweet

Wubit

Wubit

Patrick

Patrick

Catherine

Catherine


Soko

Patricia
Patricia

Fatimata
Fatimata

Sign up to our emails

  • Contact us
  • Jobs
  • Full Sitemap
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Vision Aid Overseas is a registered charity (in England) no. 1081695.
© 2016 Vision Aid Overseas. All rights reserved.

Real Stories