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Wednesday 10 March 2010
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Community Service
 Community Service is a practical opportunity for Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa students to make a real difference in the local communities of Swaziland, and to learn the importance of community engagement. The programme brings our students together with people from often vastly different circumstances to their own, which opens their eyes to social issues and the potential to make change. They learn about themselves, about the value of relationships and how to work as part of a team, often in confronting and difficult situations. The students gain a sense of responsibility, and of leadership, in the broadest sense of the word. We hope that their experiences shape their ambitions and their priorities, so that when they enter the world of work their choices will be informed by their social conscience.
The Community Service programme aims to support the key values of Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa , with an emphasis on projects that provide education; promote international understanding; share resources; provide care for those affected by HIV/Aids; and demonstrate a commitment to a sustainable future. The programme must accommodate the constraints of the academic timetable, limited resources and our students' youth and skill sets. In practice, this means that we select projects very carefully in order to maximise their impact and ensure that time and resources are not wasted.
The Waterford Kamhlaba Community Service programme for 2006 saw a year of construction, and occasional destruction. In June 2006, the Community Service room, as generations of Waterford graduates have known it, was demolished to make way for the Jane Holland Centre for Creative Learning. Generously funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the new Centre provides world class performing arts facilities for Waterford students and the wider community. The Centre also incorporates a multi-purpose Community Service classroom, with kitchen facilities and increased floor space, as well as a Community Service office and a store room.
However, for much of 2006, while the new premises were under construction, the Community Service programme operated from a wooden hut, near the swimming pool. When the roof of the hut blew off in a storm, the programme was forced to move to a room in Elangeni Hostel. Community Service is central to Waterford's identity and commitment to the wider community in Swaziland, so it is fitting that that the new operational centre is situated in a central and easily accessible part of the school.
In order to get a clearer picture of the community service programme activities over the last year, you can download or read the 2007 - 2008 Community Service Report . You can also read and download the 2006 - 2007 Community Service Report.
For more information about the Community Service Programme at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa, send an email to Debbie Nodder,
debbie@waterford.sz.
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