Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
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.
Related article:
Vegetable tunnels established to continue the fight against food insecurity
UFS presents its third Amazing Rainbow Rally
2007-05-31
The University of the Free State (UFS) and OFM will present the third Amazing Rainbow Rally on Friday, 8 June 2007 in Bloemfontein.
This year’s Rally promises to be loads of fun with plenty of new surprises in store. The Amazing Rainbow Rally, our version of the popular television series the Amazing Race, is held in aid of children and babies with serious diseases in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences. By raising the necessary funds, equipment can be acquired to meet the unique health care needs of these special patients. It will also enable the UFS to maintain the high standards of education, training and research in this field.
In the Amazing Rainbow Rally, teams travel along a route with various checkpoints where activities will have to be completed, or clues solved, to be able to proceed to the next checkpoint. The team who completes the Rally first will be the winner of the Amazing Rainbow Rally 2007.
The day promises to be a huge event with lots of challenging activities for the teams and live crossings to the OFM Breakfast Team. Teams will travel in marked “taxi’s” from checkpoint to checkpoint. So give them a shout and show your support!
The Coca-Cola Celebrity Team, with Ebi Halberstadt (Braam from Egoli) and Lorraine Kriek (UFS Rag Queen and SRC President) will add extra sparkle to the event.
Join us at the Windmill Casino, the starting point for this year’s Rally at 12:00 on 8 June 2007!
Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
29 May 2007