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Nigerian Becomes First Female To Win VSO Award In UK

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Oluwatosin
 Folarin has won the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) National Youth 
Volunteer Award for 2016 and is the first Nigerian to win this award.  
The 23-year-old graduate was posted to Ilesa in Osun state with fifteen 
other volunteers for three months. VSO, an International Development 
Charity works to address poverty under which their volunteers were sent 
to work in rural communities in order to secure Livelihoods.</div>
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At the ceremony which took place in the 
United Kingdom, Julia Lalla-Mahharagh, Chief Executive of the Orchid 
project, and judge for the award outlined that while assessing nominees,
 they had been impressed by her (Folarin) “Ability to go above and 
beyond.”  She said, “What wowed us as judges was the fact that Tosin 
went beyond her brief which was extensively to look at livelihoods. But 
so much more that what she seemed to do was meet the community exactly 
where they were at. Everything she did, she did with such passion.”</div>
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Folarin, who received her award by video
 was elated and described the experience as a “challenge which has made 
me become a better person, focused on achieving greater success.”  
According to her, “Our project was themed ‘Securing Livelihood’ and we 
effected coherently with some of the United Nation’s seventeen 
developmental goals.  With respect to the first, second and eight goals 
which are end poverty, end hunger and decent work for all we carried out
 various projects  like farming in the model farm, training  farmers and
 enlightening them on various approaches to cocoa and cocoa value chain 
as well as encouraging them to explore on farming.  We also taught them 
couples of skills in order for them secure a living.</div>
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“Additionally, the third goal which is 
“wellbeing” we organized different programmes on health in which free 
medical check was conducted and trained practitioners were invited to 
speak to the community members.”</div>
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She described that, “Volunteering is a 
good way of making impact in your society and country at large. A little
 act of service goes a long way to make a positive change. This is why 
for the fourth goal which is “quality education”, volunteers had series 
of mentoring with pupils, and taught them some of their academic work.”</div>
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On Gender equality, she detailed that 
the fifth SDG goal was meritoriously looked into where women in the 
communities were able to understand that “they are not the weaker 
vessels.” “They understood that they also have equal rights and strength
 as their male counterparts,” She added.</div>

Nigerian Becomes First Female To Win VSO Award In UK

Oluwatosin Folarin has won the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) N...