Soma School, The Gambia
In 2008 the University donated £8,000 to allow a new classroom block to be built in Soma in The Gambia. Alumni donated over £1,000 via the Winton Club Reunion to provide locally-sourced furniture to equip the new classrooms. Professor Joy Carter, Vice Chancellor and President of the Winton Club, visited the school in February to meet the children and teachers.
Soma School Bursaries will help the University to send student teachers and teaching lecturers to work in the classrooms we have built and equipped. This opportunity to help improve standards of education and quality of life for the Gambian people strongly links to our institutional Values.
Student bursaries
Bursaries and scholarships have been granted to deserving students in cases of emergency and hardship, and to cover the cost of travel and essentials for their work with children in developing parts of the world. Psychology student Helen Crocker was awarded money from the Development Fundto travel to South Africa in July 2009 to help with the Kids in Africa programme run by Vivisto.
Helen helped young children in a creche in Kurland Villagetownship for four weeks.
Many of the children's lives are blighted bythe town's high unemployment rate and problems with drugs, alcohol, HIV and AIDS.
"Many of the people I met didn't have the basic things that we're used to", explained Helen."This trip has definitely made me more appreciative of the things I previously took for granted."
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Craig Philbrick was awarded a studentbursary to help with a trip to Chennai in India for a month.
The trip was part of a government initiative designed to encourage the international mobility of UK students.
India has a heartbeat that you have to experience to understand, he said. You can study it as much as you like but living it and breathing it is something quite different. I am hoping to go back to India to continue working with charities, to help improve people's lives."
Winchester Business School
Winchester Business School opened its doors in September 2008 at the West Downs Centre as part of the new Faculty of Business, Law and Sport. Generous donations supported the School's start-up: sponsorship of the Hoare Chair in Businessby the Bulldog Trust, funding for the Sargent Resources Room and a postgraduate study space with IT provision from the Kitnocks Trust.
