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03 April 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Vhugala Nthakheni
Uhuru Qwaqwa Arrival
The #UFSWalkToUhuru team arrives at the UFS Qwaqwa Campus on Friday 22 March.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Division of Student Affairs, in collaboration with the UFS Office for International Affairs, have joined hands to drive a fundraising and student-accessibility initiative dubbed, ‘The Walk to Uhuru’ (#UFSWalktoUhuru), which is aimed at raising funds and advocating for the educational rights of the less privileged. 

The project aims to raise funds in excess of R2 million from the public and stakeholders affiliated with the UFS (Kovsie staff and students). The project derives from the 2018/2019 UFS Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) mandate ‘Students Must Graduate’. The ISRC mandate aims to source funding opportunities for UFS students to register, and to complete their studies across all three campuses in 2020 and beyond.

The first leg of the project, a 350 km walk from the Bloemfontein to the Qwaqwa Campus, has already taken place and concluded on Friday, 22 March 2019 as planned. The #UFSWalkToUhuru team successfully completed the first leg of their journey to academic freedom for financially disadvantaged students at the UFS. The Uhuru team is now focusing its attention on the second leg and is determined to take on Mount Kilimanjaro (Uhuru) from 20 June to 20 July 2019.

The team sat down for a debriefing session to unpack the overall experience and result of the first half of the initiative, and they all agreed that the walk to Qwaqwa was an enlightening experience. It was a walk that comprised learning opportunities, team building, and goal crushing.

According to Rethabile Motseki, member of the #UFSWalkToUhuru team, the walk to Qwaqwa made a significant impact on the project, as the university community is now aware of the significant goals that the team is trying to accomplish. The team has also resumed their fitness-training programme to ensure that they are ready to take on the Uhuru climb in June.

A media briefing will take place shortly (date to be confirmed) to detail the ongoing fundraising initiatives rolled out by the #UFSWalkToUhuru team.  We implore you, and the nation as a whole, to help establish a better future for disadvantaged UFS students by donating to the initiative.

Students, staff, and the public can support the cause and make contributions/donations to the initiative by visiting the UFS Walk to Uhuru #givengain account page.

For more information, contact UFS SRC President, Sonwabile Dwaba, on DwabaSJ@ufs.ac.za  or Rethabile Motseki on MotsekiR@ufs.ac.za  

News Archive

‘I’d rather wake up at 8’clock for nothing than to sit at home’
2015-08-26


Tawanda Kaseke is on a mission to give back to the community one holiday at a time.

Studying towards a degree is one aspect of being a student. Investing time in worthwhile extra-mural activities forms a significant part of your student years. Tawanda Kaseke demonstrates how volunteering time to a good cause makes for a responsible student and citizen.

 

The second-year Public Administration student’s moral obligation to community development led him to spend approximately two months of his June 2015 holidays volunteering. Serving as a volunteer Admin intern at Afrika Tikkun’s ignited his aspiration to assist children from underprivileged communities to access education.

 

From cradle to career: a journey from infancy to varsity and beyond

 

Afrika Tikkun is a non-profit organisation (NGO) that works toward a future where today’s children and youth are tomorrow’s productive citizens. The NGO adopts a cradle-to-career model, which invests in the development of disadvantaged children from early infancy through young adulthood into the world of work.

 

Raising funds for the “Like Change” movement – a division of the “From Cradle to Career” project - is Tawanda’s primary objective for his November to February summer vacation.

 

Tawanda encourages social media users to contribute by clicking on the “Like” option on the ‘Like Change’ Facebook page.  A private company automatically donates R35 towards the education of an underprivileged child on your behalf.

 

Making your mark begins with a dot; university holidays are Tawanda’s dot. A passion for community development and a willingness to volunteer one’s time can go a long way in making South Africa a better place.

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