SASVO
SASVO is the Southern African Student Volunteers. SASVO was established in 1993 to give students and communities in the southern African region the opportunity to work together as volunteers in sustainable community development projects. Students from all universities in southern Africa and from all disciplines participated in SASVO projects. Now funding for SASVO has stopped but discussions are underway to get it started again.
SASVO goals were to improve the quality of life in rural areas by working with community members on various projects. Three-week work camps were organised for student volunteers during holiday periods. Special camps were organised for student leaders so that they could develop volunteer programmes from their campuses.
SASVO’s policy involved working on the basis of ‘meeting communities halfway’ – the principle of 50/50 – with half the effort coming from SASVO and half from the communities.
In its 12 years of existence, SASVO provided opportunities for over 9,000 students to be responsible and committed citizens. SASVO promoted values like volunteerism, Self-reliance, Love of Africa, Regional cooperation and unity, Interchange of people of diverse backgrounds, Responsibility towards community, Leadership development, Gender equality, and Physical involvement in development.
During the holiday work camps, the SASVO student volunteers became involved with the establishment of fruit and vegetable gardens (food security), HIV/AIDS awareness, Upgrading physical infrastructure, i.e. small-scale renovation of schools, fencing, latrines, painting and maintenance and Providing voter education to over 10,000 voters.
While volunteering their labor and skills during their free time working with disadvantaged communities, students themselves were enriched and they were encouraged to develop a commitment to uphold the spirit of volunteerism throughout their lives.
SASVO has been funded by a number of donors, including the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, the European Commission, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Development Cooperation Ireland, AusAid, Deutsche Bank, SANTS, U.N.D.P., and the U.N. Volunteers.
References
Greater Good of South Africa group Information from the University of Pretoria