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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

Badminton: Kovsie players rule
2005-07-07

Kovsie players again rule, as in the past three years, the SASSU badminton tournament currently being played at the University of Cape Town.

In the individual championships Chris Dednam gained a hat-trick by winning the men's singles title, the doubles title with Roelof Dednam and the mixed doubles title with Liansa Coetzee.

Roelof also won the silver medal in singles and bronze with Elaine Lues in the mixed doubles.  Even the bronze medal in men's singles was won by another Kovsie, Raymond Ronne, who also won silver in the doubles and bronze in the mixed doubles with Sonè Strauss.

Liansa and Sonè took the silver medal in the women's doubles after a long three-setter final which could have gone their way.  They both also went to the semi-finals of the singles where they were closely beaten.  Elaine Lues and Liezl van Rensburg made it to the quarter-finals of the doubles.

In the annual team competition Kovsies are well on their way to a third consecutive trophy.
 

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