University News Last updated 21 October 2013
A Birmingham student who spent three months tackling poverty in Malawi is celebrating success after winning an international photography competition.
19 year-old Sabah Chohan, a BA Media and Communication student at Birmingham City University, presented her winning image at an exhibition at the Houses of Parliament earlier this month after securing top spot in the International Citizen Service (ICS) photography competition.
ICS is a government funded development programme, bringing together 18-25 year olds to make a difference in some of the poorest communities around the world. Their annual photography competition gives volunteers the opportunity to share images of their ICS work in one of 26 countries and win a three day photography training course.
MPs including Fiona Mactaggart, MP for Slough, attended the exhibition and heard from volunteers about the impact of their work and the transferable skills they have gained.
Sabah, originally from Slough, said: "My photograph captures the close bond we made with local people while working on an irrigation project in Malawi. I feel it really conveys the unity of people from different cultures working together to make a difference. All the photos submitted were inspirational and told individual stories and I'm just thrilled that I won!
"ICS was an amazing opportunity to use photography to tell the story of the hard-working, passionate people I met in Malawi. It's my ambition to become a photo-journalist - I've never had any professional photography training so the competition prize will be a real boost."
David Bull, ICS Communications Officer and competition judge, said: "Sabah's photograph captured the essence of ICS. The teamwork and commitment of our volunteers from the UK and developing countries is creating positive change in communities worldwide. This image really captures the energy of young volunteers and the important role they play in international development."
The exhibition has also been hosted by ICS funders, the Department for International Development, and will now tour the UK.
ICS is free for all motivated 18-25 year olds and no qualifications are necessary.