The roots of IVS go back to just after the First World War when Service Civil International (SCI) was founded by an international group of Pacifists to further the aims of peace, justice and understanding in the world. Initiated by the Swiss Quaker Pierre Cérésole, the organisation’s purpose was to bring together volunteers from different countries, to provide a ‘voluntary service’ to local communities in need of support.

In 1920, Pierre Cérésole and Hubert Parris, a British Quaker, set up the first international voluntary project in Esnes, a French village that had suffered extensive war damage. Major volunteer projects continued throughout the 1920’s offering aid and support to communities in need.