CUSO
CUSO was founded June 6, 1961 as Canadian University Service Overseas (and in French, SUCO – Service universitaire canadien outre-mer). It was a Canadian non-profit organization that provided volunteers to aid in the development of Third World countries. In 2008, CUSO merged with VSO Canada to become CUSO-VSO (now known as Cuso International). Combined, the new organization has placed around 15,000 volunteers abroad, including Canadians, Americans, and citizens of developing countries.
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[edit] History
CUSO was launched in 1961, built on the foundation of early university-based initiatives including Canadian Overseas Volunteers (COV), Canadian Voluntary Commonwealth Service (CVCS) and Le Mouvement Universitaire National pour le Developpement Outre-Mer. Originally known as Canadian University Service Overseas (and in French, SUCO – Service universitaire canadien outre-mer), the organization would eventually send professionals and tradespeople in addition to recent university graduates, and in 1981 became just CUSO.
CUSO was formed from the belief that international volunteers could be agents of positive change. CUSO shifted its mission over time from service to solidarity, working in collaboration with overseas development groups.
Key dates in CUSO's history:
- 1960 – Canadian Overseas Volunteers (COV) and Canadian Voluntary Commonwealth Service (CVCS) are created, and other university-based programs are in development.
- 1961 (June 6) – The new volunteer movement spreads to other Canadian universities, and a national body is needed to coordinate the program. Canadian University Service Overseas (CUSO) is founded in Canada at McGill University in Montreal. Many university presidents attend, along with representatives of 21 organizations including COV, CVCS, WUSC, UNESCO and the Student Christian Movement.
- 1961 (Summer) - The first 15 COV volunteers leave for one-year postings in India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Sarawak (now an autonomous state of the federation of Malaysia). That same year, the first CVCS short-term volunteers leave for Jamaica.
- 1963 - COV unites with CUSO/SUCO (as does CVCS a year later). Nearly 100 volunteers depart under the banner of CUSO for placements in 15 countries.
- 1965 – The Canadian government begins offering direct financial assistance to CUSO; support continues to today through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
- 1981 – CUSO's Quebec operations (SUCO – Service universitaire canadien outre-mer) separate from the organization. SUCO exists to today as an independent NGO. Note: our count of 15,000 returned volunteers includes the SUCO volunteers recruited prior to the '81 CUSO-SUCO separation.
- 1981 – Canadian University Service Overseas becomes just CUSO as many volunteers were now professionals with a wide variety of skills and experiences.
- 1984 – CUSO begins formal linkage projects between groups with similar interests in Canada and the developing world.
- 1985 – CUSO begins supporting developing world volunteers, not just Canadian volunteers. Starting in the 1990s, Southern volunteers are also posted to other developing nations.
- 1995 – VSO Canada is launched.
- 2001 – VSO launches national volunteering, its in-country volunteering program.
- 2008 – CUSO and VSO Canada merge to become CUSO-VSO, the North American member of the VSO International Federation.
- 2011 - CUSO-VSO evolves its name to Cuso International.
[edit] Organizational Evolution
CUSO was in its first decades roughly analogous to the Peace Corps of the United States and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) of the UK, and was established at roughly the same time. However, unlike the Peace Corps, it was never a government agency although it began receiving federal government funding in 1965. From 1968 the Canadian International Development Agency provided most of CUSO's core funding.
In the 60s and 70s its volunteer operations were on a comparable scale to those of VSO; however, new directions and funding cuts led to volunteerism being scaled back in favour of more project aid. (And there were those in the organization that viewed volunteerism as an outdated, patronizing form of aid.) But, by the 1990s till today, the focus was once again on volunteer-sending as a tool for effective development assistance.
Over the years, CUSO worked in health, education, environmental protection, community economic development, human rights and inclusive governance. Volunteers (or 'cooperants' as they were known for many years) attempted to build the capacity of local partner organizations (usually NGO's, networks and governments), by sharing information, human and material resources, and promoting policies for developing global sustainability. Some attempts worked, some did not. In addition, CUSO for a time offered an information technology oriented youth program in partnership with the NetCorps coalition.
CUSO has had to respond to both positive and negative pressures. Pro-actively, CUSO explored new approaches to programming and volunteer-sending, including the placement of cooperants from the Global South to the North, and in-country and South-South volunteer placements. CUSO also had to react to significant funding cuts and an increasingly difficult fundraising environment. (Some would argue that with a de-emphasis on volunteering for many years, CUSO alienated segments of its original constituency.)
There were staff number reductions and offices in both Canada and overseas regions were closed. Country programs in many areas were scaled back or shut down. In 2005, most Canadian offices were closed. In the fall of 2007, CUSO closed its offices and programs in Chile, and in the Pacific nations of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. At the time of the merger with VSO Canada, CUSO worked in 17 countries (throughout its history, CUSO worked in more than 50 countries).
[edit] Merger with VSO Canada
On November 1, 2008, CUSO merged with VSO Canada. The new organization – first called CUSO-VSO and now known as Cuso International – is the North American strategic alliance partner of the international VSO Federation. The Federation includes VSO organizations in the U.K., the Netherlands, Kenya, and the Philippines.
Together, these VSO entities now make up the world’s largest non-governmental volunteer-sending international development network.
[edit] Current Development 'Toolbox'
- Long-term overseas volunteering – Professional placements for up to two years. Our 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. VSO does not run these programs but rather supports 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.
- LINKS (Learning through International Networking and Knowledge Sharing) – A program that gives partner groups the chance to go to another country to learn and share best practices.
- 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.
