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01 March 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba
Student from the Umoja Buddy programme
Students from all corners of the globe forge lasting bonds through the Umoja Buddy Programme.

Let’s say you find yourself attending a university in a different country where you need to adjust to a new language, culture, environment, friends, lecturers, curriculum, and lifestyle. Sounds like a challenging leap of faith, right? However, the Umoja Buddy Programme (UBP) makes this transition a whole lot easier for international students.

If you were an international student at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Bloemfontein Campus, you would be assigned a buddy who is familiar with student life and community. The Office for International Affairs in collaboration with Student Affairs designed this programme for all incoming exchange students to feel welcome and at home.

The UBP is part of the university’s endeavours to advance internationalisation at home, which was entrenched in the 2018-2022 UFS Internationalisation Strategy. Underlying is the idea to provide UFS students with international experiences on their home campus.

Integration at the heart of internationalisation


At the Bloemfontein Campus launch of the UBP on 14 February 2019, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, welcomed this year’s cohort of first-time international students and highlighted the importance of the UBP. “In essence, it aims to connect international and local students through meaningful lifelong friendships and to foster their academic, social and cultural integration at the UFS,” he said.

Prof Petersen strongly believes in the programme’s ability to facilitate “cross-fertilisation of ideas and intercultural exposure and learning”, which further enhances the quality of graduates produced by the institution.

A student is a student through other students


Lesotho-born Precious Lesupi volunteered as one of the 48 ambassadors to prevent others from experiencing the difficulties she did when she arrived at UFS. “I have been in a situation where you get to a place and you know nothing about the people there, especially the culture, and the way everything is done because you come from a totally different place, so it’s really hard to adjust.”

Lebohang Lesenyeho, who hails from Botshabelo in the Free State, expressed similar sentiments with fellow ambassador,Kweku Gavor. He said he “looks forward to “building a meaningful relationship.” Kweku who has Ghanaian origins believes that, “you cannot put a price on learning about another person and ways you react to certain situations.”


Umoja is a verb


True to the word umoja, which means “unity and the spirit of togetherness”, the programme has proved to bring together students from diverse backgrounds in the pursuit of academic excellence. The goal can be best achieved when complemented by a holistic social and cultural experience.

News Archive

Active citizenship key to building healthier communities
2014-09-22

Photo: Mamosa Makaya

The Office of Community Engagement in collaboration with Bloem Shelter, hosted a three-day Indaba on active citizenship. The focus of the event was to engage local government leaders, NGOs and social services groups on creating a society that is healthier, safer and more informed.

The over-arching theme of the Indaba centred on the strengthening of family structures, social and health service delivery, spiritual healing and counselling. Amongst the various speakers was Rev Jennifer Samdaan, Minister in the Methodist Church and community activist. During her presentation, ‘Youth, Women and Children at Risk in South Africa', she highlighted the challenges that women and youth in townships and rural areas deal with in their daily lives. One example is physical and sexual violence while commuting to school and work. Rev Samdaan’s organisation has been instrumental in engaging municipal authorities in the region of Kokstad to provide security and lighting on roads where women are most vulnerable to violent attacks as they commute from work.

Community workers discussed their contributions in the fields of marital and family counselling and mental health support services. They discussed the benefits of their collaboration with local judicial bodies and other community leaders to render services to victims of domestic violence.

Rev Billyboy Ramahlele, Director in the Office of Community Engagement, emphasised the role of leadership and the responsibility of political leaders and citizens alike to ensure accountability in the quest to build a healthier society.

Vanessa Booysen, a neonatal consultant for Newborn Care in South Africa, demonstrated the importance of bonding between mothers and their babies. She called attention to the negative effects on the development of babies when separated from their mothers and the future challenges this causes. Modern medicine also leads to fewer women giving birth naturally. Booysen stressed that "it matters how we are born". She encouraged health practitioners to go back to basics in maternal care to lessen the negative effects that pass onto children into adulthood.

The workshop concluded with an exhibition by various groups that showcased the information resources and services offered to communities in the Free State.

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