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17 June 2020
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Story Dr WP Wahl
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
Competition for academic institutions gets under way
2008-09-23
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Sanlam, the sponsor of the national competition for academic institutions, the Creativity for Progress Competition, recently made a presentation about this competition at the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein. The theme of this year’s competition is “A better life for people in informal settlements”. It provides students and faculties with an excellent opportunity to come up with innovative concepts on how to improve the lives of people who live in informal settlements. The winning concept will get R900 000, the winning faculty R150 000 and the winning student team R100 000. With 28 teams from this university having registered already, the UFS has the most number of entries of all the 16 universities that will take part in this competition. At the presentation were, from the left: Prof Mabel Erasmus (Community Service Learning and UFS co-ordinator for Sanlam), Miss Lebohang Ramoholi (Community Service Learning), Mr Carel Thomas (Marketing Manager: Sanlam, Bloemfontein) and Dr Ezekiel Moraka (Vice-Rector: Student Affairs).
Photo: Mangaliso Radebe
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