VMM has a unique identity and history in both faith and development within the lay missionary movement and wider family.

Our membership network identifies VMM within our peer group and distinguishes it from other non-faith based development organisations. Founded as a lay Christian development organisation in 1969, VMM has placed over 2,600 specialist personnel, such as doctors, nurses, surgeons, anaesthetists teachers, engineers, agriculturists, accountants, builders and mechanics and many more diverse skill sets throughout Africa on a range of projects.

We have however reflected upon our vision and mission and responded to the changing global environment we are part of. To support this shift we have also looked with a critical eye upon our organisational values and behaviours to more clearly define and determine our culture to deliver our new vision to work towards a ‘one world conscience’. In many respects we have returned to the founding charism defined by Edwina Gateley in 1981 which is as relevant today as it was then. That is not to say that we underestimate or are not part of the wider international development movement as indeed we are, but we have our niche offer that is the belief in the power of a life shared, “to share who we are and not just what we have” that defines our unique and compelling reason to exist in many positive and sometimes immeasurable ways.