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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

Kovsies help SA Badminton win gold at 2013 AFCON
2013-08-27

 

Elmé de Villiers, Andries Malan, Wiaan Viljoen and Sandra le Grange.
Photo: Supplied
27 August 2013

A former Kovsie and the current captain of the South African Badminton team, Olympian Wiaan Viljoen, won two gold medals at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Individual events that concluded in Mauritius on 20 August 2013.

South Africa proved their dominance in the 2013 Continental Championships by winning three gold, two silver and three bronze medals in the Individual events. Combined with the gold medal for the team, South Africa won four out of the six gold medals up for contention, with the other two going to Mauritius in the ladies’ singles and to Seychelles in the ladies’ doubles respectively.

Kovsies’ Elmé de Villiers and Sandra le Grange also carried the ladies’ side of the South African team through every match of the AFCON and De Villiers won the deciding match in the final against Nigeria. De Villiers has been included in the 2016 Road to RIO BWF Project of Excellence. Both De Villiers and Le Grange are players to watch closely en route to the 2016 Olympic Games.

De Villiers and Le Grange also won the doubles title at the Mauritius International, which was held in the week after the AFCON. This was the first international title for both De Villiers and Le Grange.

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