OGA GRANTS PRESIDENT’S REFLECTIONS Welcome to the new edition of ‘The Dragon’, which aims to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our OG community and, of course, the wider world, while also looking ahead to consider what ’normal life’ might look like in future.
W
e have all been affected by this pandemic, to a greater or lesser extent, and will no doubt continue to be for quite some time. From schools shutting down, the joys of home schooling and multiple Zoom calls, through to panic buying, cancelled holidays and not being able to see our friends and family, COVID-19 has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. Not to mention the suffering of those who have contracted the virus or lost loved ones to it, and the extraordinary debt we owe care workers and the NHS. We are honoured to feature a member of the School community who works for the NHS in this edition of the magazine and we know there are many more within our community out there doing the same, all of whom are equally deserving of our gratitude. Lockdown was an enormous challenge for the School itself, but it transitioned incredibly quickly to the effective provision of remote teaching and pastoral support. My fellow Committee Members and I have been hugely impressed by how the School responded, and continues to adapt, to the fast-changing requirements of this pandemic. In a ground-breaking adaptation of our own, we held what we think must be the OGA’s first ever virtual AGM in June. We were delighted to welcome a small number of guests to join us for it, although we were obviously sad not to be able
to conduct the meeting in person at School and be joined by all our usual loyal supporters. It was also a great shame that we had to cancel the Summer Lunch which usually follows our AGM and which, for many of us, is the highlight of the OGA calendar. At the time of writing, we do not know if, or when, we will be able to reschedule this event but please rest assured that your Committee will continue to meet (virtually) on a regular basis and that we remain as committed as ever to supporting the OG community and the School throughout this most challenging of times. I wish you all the best for the coming months and hope that it is not too long before we are able to meet in person again. Best wishes in the meantime,
Mary Comer née MacKenzie (Class of 1997)
Every academic year, the OGA makes grants of up to £500 available to current pupils and alumnae to support them in undertaking a project to assist and benefit a community, either in the UK or internationally. In 2019/2020, two grants were awarded to recent alumnae and the projects began very successfully. We were delighted to hear from Annis Archer and Gemma Bole, both of whom participated in projects in South Africa. The COVID-19 situation brought these activities to a premature conclusion, but not before a positive impact was made by these two young women in their respective projects.
COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE A SOUTH AFRICAN SNAPSHOT
T
eam South Africa! Everyone was so welcoming when we arrived, and I couldn’t wait to spend a year with them all. For our first experience together in South Africa, we headed to Soweto (a deprived township near Johannesburg) which was a real eye-opener for us all. On our second day, we had orientation and shared a meal with our country representatives, Ian and Yvonne. Soon after, I travelled to Zithulele (the village I was volunteering in) with the other five girls I would be living with for the year. I was working for a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) called Jabulani with my project partner Zoë. The other four girls worked for different NGOs in the village, called
By Annis Archer (Class of 2019)
Axium and the Zithulele Independent School. Our accommodation for the year was built around two typical African circular huts called Rondavels. However, this was modernised with a kitchen, dining / living area, two bathrooms and three bedrooms for the six of us to sleep in. The host for Axium lived next door to us with her three children, who all made us feel at home. I volunteered for Jabulani Rural Health Foundation and worked on its antiretroviral (ARV) programme, which supplies life-saving medication for those with HIV. The programme alone supports over 4,000 patients in the surrounding area.
The staff at the hospital are utterly dedicated to saving lives day in, day out; it was truly inspirational that I was able to be part of their work. I had the opportunity to shadow doctors during my time here. I saw a Caesarean section and visited the wards and the outpatient department. It was always non-stop at the hospital with deliveries and the construction of a wheelchair ramp in progress during my time there. We had clinics on Monday and Thursday for children, and on Wednesday for people with tuberculosis. Zoë and I worked This was one of the consulting rooms for the anti-retroviral (ARV) unit.
President arrived Taken just as we after in Johannesburg an 11 hour flight.
Entrance to the Jabulani Ru ral Health Founda tion Hospital.
8 | Autumn 2020
This was our ion in Zithulele. accommodat
Autumn 2020 | 9
