VSO 2021-22 Annual Report

Spend on charitable activities
Total spend on charitable activities in 2021/22 was
£34.2 million.
Overall programme spending was significantly
impacted by the reduction in institutional donor
funding and the stop of the ICS contract in
February 2021. But, despite COVID-19 and related
lockdown restrictions in many countries in the
first half of the year, we managed to implement
our programme of work as planned thanks to the
change in ways of working and adaptation started
in 2020/21.
Expenditure on inclusive education represent 49%
of our portfolio of work and has increased this year,
while expenditure on health, resilient livelihoods
and core approaches programmes decreased
compared to 2020/21 spend:
Expenditure on inclusive education (£18.9
million) has increased by £1.0 million, as we scaled
up existing activities implemented under a number
of grants including the Learning Through Play
grant (Lego foundation) in Rwanda, Empowering
Adolescent Girls to Learn and Earn project in
Mozambique (Global Affairs Canada), Unlocking
Talent (KFW and the Royal Norwegian Embassy) in
Malawi and Building Learning Foundations (FCDO)
in Rwanda.
Expenditure on health (£6.6 million) has
decreased by £1.5 million reflecting mostly the
end of the the Polio Emergency Operations
centres project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. Other projects have continued notably
the multi-country Intersectionality grant aiming at
strengthening civil society organisations in their
role of lobby and advocacy around sexual and
reproductive health rights funded by the Dutch
government and the Speak it Loud project in
Zimbabwe funded by UN Women.
Spend on charitable activities
£70m
£60m
£50m
£40m
£30m
£20m
£10m
£0m
17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22
Financial year
Inclusive Education Health Resilient Livelihoods Core Approaches ICS consortium partners
38 VSO Annual report