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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
Sasol to invest millions in chemistry at the UFS
2007-12-13
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A top-level delegation from Sasol recently met with the management of the University of the Free State (UFS) and that of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences to further invest millions in the Department of Chemistry. Sasol invested R9 million over the past three years in this department. The company has been very impressed with the department's 100% increase in significant published research outputs on basic petrochemical reactions from 2005 to 2006. At the meeting were, from the left, front: Prof. Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS), Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk (Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS), and Dr Chris Reinecke (Managing Director of Sasol Technology R&D); back: Prof. Ben Bezuidenhout (Affiliated Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the UFS), Prof. André Roodt (Chairperson of the Department of Chemistry at the UFS) and Dr Desmond Young (Manager of Chemical Technologies at Sasol Technology R&D).
Photo: Mangaliso Radebe
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