About Development

What is development?

"Development is a product of many things: good education, effective health and welfare services, good and open government, environmental sustainability, high rates of savings and investment, a dynamic private sector, a vibrant civil society and a healthy trading regime are all required."
Ian Smillie, author of The Alms Bazaar - non-profit organisations & international development.

Few ‘developing’ nations have all of these factors in place, but many see these as their ‘development goals’.

The ‘process of development’ helps communities to assess their needs and achieve their development goals.

Each community VSA works with in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific has different development needs. They therefore each require different approaches to meet those needs.

Volunteer assignments are developed, in consultation with local partner organisations and communities, to achieve specific development goals.

Monitoring Development Impacts

VSA launched case study series aimed at providing an in-depth view of the work and impact of volunteerMonitoring Development Impacts

VSA has launched case study series aimed at providing an in-depth view of the work and impact of volunteer programmes. Two case studies of volunteer programmes in the island nations of the Pacific have been published so far.

The first study is titled Rebuilding Bougainville and the role of New Zealand Volunteers. This is a case study of the first seven years of VSA's engagement in post-conflict Bougainville. Local Partner Organisations, other stakeholders and returning volunteers participated in a qualitative research project let by Dr Peter Swain, Pacific Programme Manager. The research report reviews VSA's work in post-conflict Bougainville, identifies lessons learned and provides direction for future work

The second study is titled Janis Blong Toktok - Pri-Skul Asosiesen Blong Vanuatu and the role of New Zealand Volunteers. An independent researcher, Dr John Schischka, Jennifer James from a long-standing Partner Organisation, the PSABV, and Peter Swain contributed to a qualitative analysis of the contribution of VSA volunteers to the development of early childhood education throughout Vanuatu. Janis Blong Toktok means a "chance to talk". They tell the story of the development of vilij kindi and the impact of the work, developing educational opportunities, on local children and their communities. This case study gives voice to the aspiration of Ni-Vanuatu for quality education, and identifies a recent shift towards an indigenous approach to education in Vanuatu.

Both links download a PDF.