For almost 80 students (and four staff members), it was a summer with a difference. Drawn from across the UCD community – from civil engineering to sustainability, from physiotherapy and dietetics to business analytics and law – they participated in UCDVO’s volunteering and global citizenship programme.
Following a series of preparatory workshops between January and May (covering topics such as health and safety, child safeguarding, team building and global citizenship), the volunteers travelled to UCDVO’s partners in Uganda, Tanzania and Cambodia. Projects spanned sustainability, education and health. The three health projects were carried out in partnership with the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. UCDVO introduced a new GAA pilot project in Uganda with Africa’s first official GAA club, Simba Wolfhounds. There were also education projects in Cambodia and Tanzania.
The UCDVO volunteers worked with local communities to provide hundreds of hours of English language tuition in Cambodia; supported schools in Uganda to use sport as a tool for education; assisted in carrying out physiotherapy assessments of over 100 children with disabilities, and engaged with communities on sustainability and plastic upcycling.
Volunteering with UCDVO is a significant commitment of time and energy. UCDVO recognises that there are considerable barriers to participating in co-curricular activities on campus and endeavours to make the programme as accessible as possible through a small number of bursaries.
For many participants of the UCDVO programme, it is a rewarding and transformative educational experience that stays with them for life.
“My time in Tanzania was eye-opening, rewarding, and life-changing”, said Aoife Brady. A postgraduate student, recently graduated from the UCD Innovation Academy’s Professional Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership, who volunteered with the Holy Union Sisters, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“From the host community, I learned about resilience, joy, and the value of community-led change. Long-lasting improvements happen when people themselves drive the process. It also made me reflect on the value of volunteering: our role is not to “fix,” but to contribute in partnership, listen, and support where we can”.
She highlighted how she “gained a huge amount personally. My communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills were tested and strengthened, whether adapting coding lessons on the spot or working collaboratively with the volunteers to deliver meaningful sessions despite challenges. I also hope that during my time in Tanzania, I lived out the values of UCDVO: respect, integrity, solidarity, and compassion”.
“This experience has shifted my understanding of what it means to be a global citizen. Before, I thought of it mainly as awareness of global issues. Now I see it as an active responsibility recognising our interconnectedness and choosing to act in solidarity with others”.
“For me, the next step is to host a Concern dinner for Gaza, raising funds for the provision of food to people living in dire conditions. I see this as a way of taking what I’ve learned and applying it not just overseas, but in how I live and act at home”.
“My time in Tanzania was eye-opening, rewarding, and life-changing, and I know that continuing to engage in this way will deepen both my contribution and my learning. Being a global citizen also means carrying these values into everyday life: listening before acting, showing compassion, and remembering that small, community-led initiatives often have the greatest impact.”
Applications for UCDVO’s 2026 volunteering and global citizenship programme open on 15 October 2025. Sign up for one of the info sessions on the UCDVO website.
UCDVO – Sponsor