A campaign is encouraging more older people to volunteer overseas to make continued use of their skills.
VSO wants to recruit business advisers, agriculture experts, town planners and fundraisers. It has a particular need for teaching and medical professionals.
The international development organisation believes that such a move would be beneficial to its work as well as to the volunteers.
It comes as research from the charity found 60% of retirees who consider themselves to have professional skills and experience say these are being wasted since they retired.
The survey also found 49% of retired adults feel less valued by society since retiring, while only 3% of retired people feel society as a whole values them more since their retirement.
The YouGov poll reveals a wealth of talent among retired people in Great Britain.
Angela Salt, director of VSO UK, said: "The experience and skills of retirees are very much required for our work overseas tackling poverty. VSO volunteers share their skills in a way that leaves a lasting legacy. Volunteering doesn't just change the lives of the people in the communities where we work. It changes the lives of our volunteers."
To find out more about volunteering overseas with VSO visit www.vso.org.uk/retiredrequired.
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