Community Nutrition Projects in the Southern Free State by the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics

At the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, the overall goal of service learning is to develop student learning and to promote health within the community. Students take part in the planning, implementing and evaluation of various health promotion activities in the community. As part of health promotion, students perform growth monitoring and evaluation at schools and crèches. Nutritional assessment and counselling is conducted at local clinics and old age homes. Relevant health talks are given at schools, clinics, crèches, community centres and local farms.

Photo's taken at a school in one of the informal settlements in Trompsburg, which is managed by a woman at her home.

Photo taken at a clinic in Trompsburg

Our students also visited clinics in Botshabelo and did home visits in the Bergman environment in Mangaung.

Our fourth year students do what we call a "home project", where they can plan and present any nutrition-related project in their hometown for two weeks.

Last year, our first-year students did projects at Smiley Kids, Sunlawns and Tintinkieland about healthy eating habits.