Cuso International Central: Recent Episodes
Jessica Dubelaar
Dariel Krammer discusses the education system in Region One Guyana and CUSO-VSO's role in supporting literacy and special education initiatives there. Region One faces many educational challenges, including insufficient teacher training. The region is ...
Occupational Therapist Sarah Verveld is a volunteer from the Netherlands. Sarah is currently the only Occupational Therapist in all of Guyana. She is working to train Rehab Assistants to fill the skills gap. Rehab Assistants graduate from an 18-month p...
Sydney Allicock is the Chair of the North Rupununi District Development Board. He is considered by some as "one of the most respected and dedicated leaders in Guyana". Listen to him discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by Amerindian communiti...
Behi Barzegar is a Food Technologist working with the Helping Hands Women's Group (HHWG) in Lethem, Guyana. She's using her experience in food manufacturing in the UK and her Master's in International Development to assist the HHWG improve their busine...
Heather Cobb is a Canadian volunteer working with the Wowetta Women's Group - a group that processes Cassava to generate income for their community. Heather works closely with Priscilla Torres, the group's President to improve the group's business prac...
Joseph Wangija, a volunteer from Uganda, is a Special Education Needs Specialist working with schools in Region 1, Guyana to develop inclusive education programs to integrate children with disabilities in to the school system. Stigma and lack of resour...
Chris Little is a CMA working as a Financial Manager with Scotiabank in Toronto. Through Scotiabank's partnership with CUSO-VSO, Chris is currently in Guyana where he is sharing his skills with a women's group and carpentry school. Listen to Chris as h...
Ethiopia, like many parts of Africa, is affected by a serious "brain drain" of skilled professionals who have left the country. CUSO-VSO, VSO Ethiopia, AHEAD, and ABIDE are working together to implement a diaspora volunteering initiative that aims to c...
Belleville resident Greg Meehan knows first-hand the impact that volunteering internationally can have. Greg volunteered with CUSO-VSO twice in his lifetime, first in 1972 as a 22-year old straight out of university and then almost 30 years later right...
Linda Whittaker is not your typical accountant - she spent a year with CUSO-VSO in Gujarat State in India sharing her financial and management skills with an organization supporting people living with HIV and AIDS. Find out more about her experiences i...
Paul Smith spent almost 5 years volunteering in Kaduna State, Nigeria working at a school for deaf children. He used his own experience as a deaf person to break down barriers and inspire his students. Paul speaks to us about the impact of his experien...
Sarah Power and Catherine Cecchini both volunteered in Northern Cameroon for two years with CUSO-VSO. Find out about the challenges and rewards they experienced and the directions their lives have taken since. Volunteer for a better world! Join CUSO-V...
Ken Wood is currently volunteering in Zanzibar supporting an innovative project - Making Markets Work for the Poor. A joint partnership between VSO International and Accenture, the project supports farmers to increase their access to markets. Ken and M...
Andrew Victor spent almost two years volunteering with CUSO-VSO in Guyana. In this podcast he shares what he learned about being global citizen, the challenges he faced, and the impact that the placement had on him. Volunteer for a better world! Join ...
Solomon Belay recently returned from six months volunteering with the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Solomon was part of a unique program with CUSO-VSO that enables volunteers from diaspora communities to share their skills with their countries...
Frank Holte works in set design for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario. The Stratford Festival has partnered with CUSO-VSO and the city of Suchitoto to help rebuild and revitalize a small community in El Salvador through theatre. ...
Bharat Mathoo and Peter Jailall are Guyanese-Canadians who have gone back to Guyana to share their skills as educators through the Canada-Guyana Teacher Education Project (CGTEP). CUSO-VSO has partnered with CGTEP as part of the Diaspora Volunteering P...