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Students play leading role to ensure food security

17 June 2020 | 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.

News Archive

Vishuis the best Koshuisrugby team in the country

2012-04-11

Photo: Varsity Cup
11 April 2012

The best in koshuis rugby. That is the title Vishuis Residence rugby team can use with pride. Vishuis gave Stellenbosch University’s Dagbreek Residence a drubbing with a 44-26 win. They clinched the 2012 Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships title on Monday 9 April 2012 at the Tuks Rugby Stadium in Pretoria.

It is the second time that Vishuis has won the tournament. Kovsies now has three Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championship titles. Armentum won the title in 2009 and Vishuis won its first title in 2010.

Vishuis went into finals unbeaten, whipping residences from the University of Pretoria (Tuks) and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) on their way to victory. The Kovsie students beat Steinhoff Mopanie from Tuks 26-18 in a round three match and thrashed TUT’s Steinhoff Monitor 133-13 in a round five match. The Vishuis team beat Steinhoff Dagbreek 15-14 in their first match of the tournament. The Kovsies played five matches in total.

Vishuis team manager and fellow-coach, Gerhard Meyer, said it was only the third time that his team had participated in the tournament. Meyer, who played in the Vishuis team that won the tournament in 2010, said winning the Championship as player and fellow-coach was a personal highlight. “Taking it step by step, the hard work of the boys has been rewarded.”

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