Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
28 May 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba
Meal in a Jar
Omar-Raphael Tabengwa quoted Maya Angelou who said: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Lunch and learning were reconciled at Joe Solomon School in Heidedal as part of Africa Day celebrations which were spearheaded by the University of the Free State’s (UFS) International Student Association. As part of the second annual Meal in a Jar project, 190 learners received a hearty meal and stationery packs on 23 May 2019.

In addition to being served rice, mince and vegetables, the Grade four pupils also had the opportunity to learn a bit of basic German and Dutch. “We broadened their minds by introducing them to our foreign exchange students,” said Omar-Raphael Tabengwa, Student Representative Council (SRC): International Students.

Give and gain 

Not only did the exchange expose learners to knowledge about other African countries that exceeds the scope of their curriculum, hence decolonising education from a grassroots level. This also gave international students the opportunity to engage with the community beyond the institution.

More than just a meal

The Meal in a Jar project also promotes environmental sustainability and teaches pupils the value of reusing and recycling. According to Omar: “The jars can later be used for different purposes such as a stationery holder, washing powder container or coin collector, based on an individual’s need.” 

Embracing value of Uhuru

The Meal in a Jar project’s theme for this year was Uhuru, which means “freedom” in Swahili. These are the ideals that the UFS Walk to Uhuru team stands for, an initiative that the project endorses.
 
Much like the Meal in a Jar project, the UFS Walk to Uhuru initiative advocates the educational rights of the less privileged and is currently raising funds to aid access to higher education. As part of the first leg of the walk, the Uhuru team took a 350km expedition on foot to the Qwaqwa Campus in March. They are expected to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in mid-June in an attempt to make R1million for the 2020 academic year.

News Archive

Medical team performs first hybrid procedure in the Free State
2014-12-08

The days when a heart operation meant hours in an operating theatre, with weeks and even months of convalescing, will soon be something of the past.

A team of cardiologists from the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Faculty of Health Sciences once again made medical history when they performed the first hybrid procedure in the Free State.

The Department of Paediatric Cardiology, in conjunction with the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, performed this very successful procedure on a 45-year-old woman from Kuruman.

During the procedure of 30 minutes, the patient’s thorax was opened up through a mini thoracotomy to operate on the beating heart.

“The patient received an artificial valve in 2011. Due to infection, a giant aneurism developed from the left ventricle, next to the aorta. Surgery would pose a very high risk to the patient. Furthermore, her health was such that it would contribute to problems during open-heart surgery,” explains Prof Stephen Brown, Head of the UFS’s Department of Paediatric Cardiology.

“After the heart was opened up through a mini thoracotomy, the paediatric cardiologists performed a direct puncture with a needle to the left ventricle cavity. A Special sheath was then placed in the left ventricle to bypass the catheters. Aided by highly advanced three-dimensional echocardiography and dihedral X-ray guidance, the opening to the aneurism, located directly below the artificial aorta valve, was identified and the aneurism cannulated.”
 
During the operation, a special coil, called a Nester Retractor, was used for the first time on a patient in South Africa to obtain stasis of extravasation and ensure the stability of devices in the aneurism.

“This is highly advanced and specialist work, as we had to make sure that the aneurism doesn’t rupture during manipulation and the devices had to be positioned in such a way that it doesn’t cause obstruction in valve function or the coronary artery. The surgical team was ready all the time to switch the patient to the heart-lung machine should something go wrong, but the procedure was very successful and the patient was discharged after a few days.”

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept