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17 June 2020 | Story Dr WP Wahl
Students play leading role to ensure food security

The Division of Student Affairs (DSA) prioritises innovation to meet the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition among students.  To this end, several student volunteers and student governance structures are collaborating with the DSA on various initiatives.

During 2019, various conversations were held about the possibility of creating a health-promoting food environment at the UFS where students and staff are well informed and empowered to take appropriate action regarding their food and nutritional needs.  These conversations resulted in an institutional strategy to address the food environment at the UFS.  Student representatives serve on a technical committee that directs the implementation of this strategy.  In this regard, several initiatives have already been launched.

Students from residences and other student communities have planted vegetable gardens on the Bloemfontein Campus with the assistance of KovsieACT and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.  Students and staff are already harvesting and distributing vegetables to needy students every week.  Measurements were put in place to continue this during the COVID-19 period.  The following vegetables were planted: spinach, cabbage, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.

Food parcels, donated by Tiger Brands and Gift of the Givers, are continuously handed out by DSA staff and student volunteers.  In this regard, 540 food parcels have already been handed out on the Bloemfontein Campus during the COVID-19 period alone.  During the same time, 117 students received food parcels on the Qwaqwa Campus.  The innovation of this food parcel project rests on the fact that business, NPOs, UFS students, and DSA staff are collaborating to address food insecurity and malnutrition.

More collaborative initiatives will be implemented over the next 12 months.  The DSA staff and students are already working with the Department of Dietetics and Consumer Sciences to create information packages about the preparation of low-budget nutritious meals.

Related article:
Vegetable tunnels established to continue the fight against food insecurity

News Archive

Student receives prestigious international award for article
2008-08-07

 

Desmé Human, an honours student in Quantity Surveying at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management, is the newest receiver of the Kenneth K. Humphreys Award. This award, which is seen as the most prestigious international award of its kind, was awarded to her for the most outstanding Quantity Surveying article submitted by a student or a young member of the International Cost Engineering Council (ICEC) for the period 2006-2008. The article, entitled: "Implementation of affirmative action and black economic empowerment in the construction industry", was judged by an international referee as an outstanding article which is worthy to be presented at an international conference. The award was handed to her at the 52nd annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) International and a world conference of the ICEC held in Toronto, Canada. Here she is with Prof. Basie Verster, departmental chairperson of the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the UFS.
Photo: Supplied

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