Putting the FUN into FUNdraising

It has been a bit of a VSO-themed week. It started last Sunday when I finally managed to do my long-planned car boot sale. This had a dual purpose: get rid of surplus possessions before going away and raise money for VSO. The last time I attempted a car boot sale was about 25 years ago with my mum. I don't think we succeeded in selling anything, though we did get a lot of interest in the wooden folding chair that Mum had taken to sit on, and which she had no intention of selling! My hopes this time were not set especially high, so I was quite pleased that I managed to sell much of what I had taken, raising over £60 for VSO in the process.
The Oxford VSO support group had organised two Christmas events this week. On Thursday, some of us went to London for the VSO Candlelit Carol Concert at St. Martin in the Fields, and on Friday an even larger group of us enjoyed a get-together in Oxford with mulled wine, followed by the Pegasus Theatre Christmas "Panto" - What the Dickens.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me so far in my fundraising, including the Oxford VSO group. All volunteers are asked to raise at least £1500 towards the work of VSO. Thankfully this does not all have to be raised before leaving; volunteers can continue to fundraise while away and when they get back. If you would like to make a contribution, you can do so at my Just Giving page.

In November at the One World Fair in Oxford, visitors to our stand were enthralled by our quirky quiz: "Where in the World?", which involved matching fascinating items brought back by VSO volunteers from around the world with their country of origin. The lucky winners joined us for free at the Pegasus panto.

VSO in a nutshell

VSO is a very well established international development charity, which has been sending volunteers to developing world countries for over 50 years. VSO's vision is a world without poverty, and one of the core values underpinning the work of VSO is that people are the best agents of change. Rather than sending food or money, VSO sends women and men with skills and experience to live in local communities and work in partnership with local colleagues, helping to drive positive change from the ground up.
VSO currently works in over 40 countries, and focuses its work in six goal areas:

• Disability
• Education
• Health and Social Wellbeing
• HIV and AIDS
• Participation and Governance
• Secure Livelihoods

To find out more about the work of VSO, you can visit the international and the UK websites.

My placement is part of the VSO Thailand/Burma Education Programme. My job title is Early Childhood Development Adviser, and I will be working with a number of schools in the border area with Burma, with the aim of improving access to and quality of education for children aged 3-8, who come largely from Burmese migrant communities. That's the theory. Exactly what it will look like in practice I will find out when I get there!