Voluntary Service Award (VSA)

Andrew Boys, WOBS Chairman, presents
the WOBS Vountary Service Award 2001 to Nick Smith

Launched in 2001, the Voluntary Service Award is a cash prize awarded by WOBS to a member of the Upper Sixth intending to undertake a voluntary service project during his Gap year. The prize is awarded by a WOBS judging panel on merit. One or more minor awards are also available.

Nick Smith won the first VSA in July 2001 and is now in Uganda working on a HIV awareness project, he writes:

“I have been placed in St. Joseph’s secondary school in the village of Buwanyanga in the Sironko district, about 30 minutes from Mbale in South East Uganda. I’m in the foothills of Mt. Elgon, so the water from the bore hole is fairly good, although it can’t be drunk.

The school has just increased to 3 classes, but is private and very poor. My Ugandan counterpart calls it busy! We have 2 rooms in a crumbling mud hut, but we do have a blackboard. The last 4 weeks have been spent doing our training; 3 weeks in Jinja, Uganda’s second city, where we have covered some basic teaching methods, non-formal education techniques, subject specific tasks, basic language training in Iugisu and information on HIV/AIDS, sanitation, nutrition and contraceptives as well as adolescent health.

We were staying in a boarding school for orphans, run by a religious organisation. About 20 minutes walk away we could get to Lake Victoria, a 10 minute walk to the source of the Nile, which John Speke ‘discovered’

Jinja town is a sleepy place with a distinctly shanty appearance. The last week we spent in an orphanage in Mbale, completing the training. We used to go and play with the kids most nights - orphaned by AIDS. It was great fun, spinning around and dancing attached to 3-5 children at a time when they had climbed up.

Nick’s full letter will follow in the next The Blue Paper.

The VSA panel listened to presentations by four 2002 VSA applicants on 9th March and will decide who to award the VSA to at the next Committee meeting.