Saadetu Yahaya is from Nigeria, and is currently doing a Masters Degree in Law. She volunteers as a Support Worker in the Magistrates Court in Camberwell Green with the Camberwell Witness Service.
What have you gained from volunteering?
I feel useful and valuable because Witness Support are appreciative of the contribution that all volunteers make.I feel valuable to the clients because they are so appreciative to have someone to talk to and put them through the court procedures and prepare them for the experience of being a witness. As you can imagine it is very emotional and sometimes even scary for a victim to come and testify against someone alleged to have victimised them. In that sense I feel useful to a fellow human being becausewe have a specialised knowledge and talk to them in an understanding manner that puts them at ease.
Tell us about a particular incident which stands out during your time volunteering and what you learned from it.
The experience I have to relate is not mine directly, but that of my colleague who was a staff at Witness Support whom I was shadowing at the time. We had a lady who had been assaulted and she was so nervous and apprehensive about testifying, my colleague had to sit with her throughout the court proceedings. She supplied her with tissues as she was crying and generally was her support system because she had not come to the court with any family or friends. After testifying she stepped out of the court room and passed out … I suppose from the trauma of the experience. My colleague had to remain with her and even go to the hospital with her …. That experience showed me how much help we can be to someone in that situation. This is the most dramatic incident but generally any day I go into work I am aware that they are happy we are there at their disposal.Lastly, the reward and sense of self satisfaction I feel from volunteering is something that is within me because I feel that my time has been well spent for the days on which I volunteer.
