Cuso International is a non-profit development organization that works through volunteers. Each year, Cuso International sends hundreds of global citizens to work on collaborative development projects in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and theCaribbean. Cuso International is one ofNorth America’s leading international development organizations that works through volunteers.

The volunteers come from many professional backgrounds and many ages. They come from across Canada and the United States, and also from many developing countries in which Cuso International works.

Cuso International collaborates with developing world organizations and governments to identify areas of greatest need, and then develop strategic volunteer positions. Volunteers work on locally and nationally managed projects; this way, the benefits of their work continue to be felt by local people long after the volunteers have passed on their skills and returned home. 

OBJECTIVES

• - provide practical opportunities for North Americans to help change the world through international volunteering
• - link people and organizations the world over so they can together tackle social justice and development issues
• - increase public awareness of global issues, and encourages people to take action for equitable, sustainable development.

HOW CUSO INTERNATIONAL WORKS
Cuso International delivers development assistance through:

Long-term overseas volunteering – Professional placements for up to two years. The volunteers help build social infrastructure by passing on their expertise. They come from both developed and developing nations.

Short-term specialist assignments – Positions of six months and under for highly experienced professionals who provide support at senior levels. They come from both developed and developing nations.

Developing world 'National Volunteering' – Support for in-country volunteering, helping people contribute to the development of their own communities. Cuso International & VSO do not run these programs but rather support local agencies that provide volunteer opportunities.

Diaspora communities volunteering – Support for people interested in using their skills in their countries of birth or heritage.

Development partnerships – Strategic alliances with select business partners, and tri-party linkages among organizations in the developing world and like-minded groups in North America.

Public engagement in North America – Using the knowledge gained at the grassroots of international development to raise awareness of – and action on – global issues at home.