Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS Health Sciences grows No Student Hungry fund through music

01 August 2022 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Maryke Venter

UFS No student Hungry concert — Attending the first Winter Warmer Indoor Concert, hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences, were, from the left: Prof Hanneke Brits, Dorah Klaas from UFS Institutional Advancement, Dr Nicholas Pearce, and Mantwa Makhakhe, Senior Financial Planner and Director at Sanlam.

“Don’t worry about a thing,

‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right

Singin’: “Don’t worry about a thing

‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right!”

An extract from the lyrics of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, performed by Dr Nicholas Pearce, Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of the Free State (UFS), and Prof Hanneke Brits, Associate Professor in the UFS Department of Family Medicine, singing along with the staff and students from the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences and the audience. This performance was one of the highlights during the first Winter Warmer Picnic Concert presented by the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The faculty, besides displaying the talent of its medical students, the Free State Youth Wind Ensemble, the UFS Choir, and nationally renowned Lucy Sehloho, aimed to create a fun evening for staff, students, and the Bloemfontein community in order to raise awareness for hungry students.

About students for students

It is a function about students for students, remarked Prof Prakash Naidoo, Vice-Rector: Operations, who opened the event. According to him, millions of people worldwide go hungry every day. “At the UFS, there are also many students who are not able to afford basic food stuffs. Often, essentials are not covered by student bursaries, leaving students hungry and struggling to perform at the academic level expected,” he said.

To enter the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus where the concert was hosted, members of the audience could donate non-perishable food, sanitary items, or blankets. The 800 food parcels collected at the event will be distributed by the No Student Hungry programme.

Besides students, staff members and their families who attended the concert and donated towards the NSH, the Life Rosepark Hospital and Sanlam also made financial contributions towards the programme.

Community coming together for a good cause

The idea to host the concert and to see lecturers in the faculty perform, stemmed from the CANSA shavathon held earlier this year when more than R10 000 was raised for people suffering from cancer and other related illnesses. Dr Pearce indicated that, should students reach the R10 000 mark, he and Prof Brits would perform Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. The original idea of one performance evolved into a two-hour concert, seeing members of the Bloemfontein community coming together for a good cause.

“Due to your contribution, many students will not go hungry,” said Dr Pearce, thanking everyone who attended the concert and donated to the NSH programme.

• Should you also like to make a difference in someone’s life and make a cash donation to the No Student Hungry programme, please scan the QR code and follow the instructions. Your contribution can go a long way in making a difference in someone’s life.

News Archive

Global Leadership Summit takes a look at Higher Education in the South African context

2012-07-10

Since 1994 South Africa has achieved a lot in making higher education accessible to South Africans, but challenges still face us daily.

This was the message of a lecture by Dr Lis Lange, Senior Director at the Directorate for Institutional Research and Academic Planning (DIRAP) today at the Global Leadership Summit at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Dr Lange’s lecture focused on the Higher Education and Leadership for Change in South Africa.

In her lecture Dr Lange said in 1994 about 525 000 students, of which 47% were white students, enrolled in South African universities. White youth participation in South Africa was also far higher at 70% comparing to the 9% participation by African youth.

Dr Lange found that eighteen years into democracy, about 900 000 students enrol in South African universities of which the majority is African students. The number of female students also increased greatly.

“In general, youth participation in South Africa remains low. This is still more prevalent among African youth. We also experience a high drop-out rate in South African institutions of higher education.”

Dr Lange delivered this lecture on Monday as part of a series of conversations taking place at the UFS during the Global Leadership Summit. About 160 student and staff delegates are attending this summit and will take part in various critical dialogues.

Higher Education and Leadership - A critical view.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept