VSO suspends South African project after deaths of two Britons

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/23/vso-suspends-south-african-project-deaths-britons

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A UK government-funded overseas volunteering scheme has suspended work in South Africa following claims of chaotic safeguarding measures after two young women drowned while taking part in a project.

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) said no more volunteers would be sent to the country with Lattitude, a major organiser of such projects, pending an independent report into the deaths of Alice Barnett and Summer Robertson, who were swept away by an Indian Ocean rip current in December 2014.

Their families had expressed alarm after being told by other volunteers that Lattitude staff did not seem to know about the rip currents, which are common on that stretch of coast, and seemed confused about safety policies.

Following an inquest in June into the deaths of Barnett, a 19-year-old from Hertfordshire, and Robertson, 21, from Shrewsbury, the coroner wrote to Lattitude to express concern at the company’s “generic” risk assessments and apparent lack of knowledge about rip currents. “In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken,” he warned.

Barnett and Robertson had been two days away from flying home at the end of the project, part of the government-funded International Citizenship Service (ICS), aimed at Britons aged 18 to 25. VSO, which oversees ICS schemes, said Lattitude’s work in South Africa had been paused pending the investigation, with a small number of volunteers relocated elsewhere.

A VSO spokeswoman said: “Of course we will take seriously and act on recommendations arising from the investigation.” The scope of the inquiry had yet to be decided, she added, or who would lead it.

The decision is an about-turn for VSO, which said only last month it was satisfied with Lattitude’s risk assessments and did not believe the company held any blame for the deaths.

The families of Barnett and Robertson have welcomed the move but say they are concerned it took so long. While inquiring into their daughters’ deaths, they learned that one of their co-volunteers in the Walmer district of Port Elizabeth had been stabbed in the stomach by a gang, while six members of a subsequent volunteer cohort left the scheme early after being threatened by a man with a machete.

“We feel very relieved they’ve done this,” said Suzie Barnett, Alice Barnett’s mother. “But at the meeting where they told us about the inquiry they said it had taken so long because they had been busy for months supporting Lattitude in this very difficult time for them. We were dumfounded by that.”

Barnett said she hoped the investigation would look into the wider safety of volunteers on ICS schemes, she said. “I would like to know how extensive their inquiry is going to be. It might be a little naive to think this has only happened in South Africa, and everywhere else will be fine. It would seem more sensible to investigate a bit further.”

VSO said it would consult with the families about the scope of the investigation, and regularly liaise with them while it took place.

In a statement, Lattitude said it was fully supportive of the VSO investigation. It added: “To enable its South African team to cooperate with the VSO review, Lattitude has agreed to pause its ICS programme in South Africa. All other Lattitude programmes in South Africa and elsewhere continue to operate as normal.”