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10 March 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Unsplash
Food security
The No Student Hungry team gearing up to start distributing food parcels to the selected students.
The UFS is one of the many institutions of higher learning where food insecurity is an active issue. However, the No Student Hungry Programme is one of the initiatives launched at the university to assist in fighting food insecurity at the institution.

The purpose of the programme

Since its inception in 2011, the initiative has assisted many students in acquiring a healthy meal. Additionally, the Food Environment Office also hands out food packages, so that students can continue to achieve academically. “We are trying to develop a healthy environment for students and make it easier for them to have a nice and healthy meal,” stated Annelize Visagie, who heads the Food Environment Office at the UFS. The Food Environment programme is spread out on all three campuses, each with its own facilitators. Furthermore, the programme mainly caters for students who are not funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) but who are excelling academically. The abovementioned students apply for assistance online, and a list is then drawn up of students who receive assistance for the year.

Alternative solutions to keep the initiative running

On the Bloemfontein Campus, the No Student Hungry Programme will be catering for 200 students in the 2022 academic year, assisting them with a daily nutritious meal. Additional food parcels are also handed out to provide further assistance.  “We give food parcels to the students on the list every Tuesday and Thursday at the Thakaneng Bridge,” Visagie highlighted. However, she argues that catering for the student population through this programme can be a challenge, as the demand for assistance is growing rapidly and the ability to assist is limited. The programme relies on partnerships and sponsors to assist the student body. In fact, the coordinators of the programme currently have a memorandum of understanding with Tiger Brands according to which they deliver around 100 food parcels for distribution.

In addition, the coordinators have put in place alternative measures to ensure that they can provide more food to students. “The Kovsie Act Office, in partnership with the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, has started a food garden where healthy and nutritious produce are grown, in order to add value to the distribution,” she indicated. Although the programme can only assist to a point, students who are in desperate need of assistance are never turned away. In fact, the Social Support Unit at Thakaneng Bridge usually assists students with food vouchers for a maximum of four days.

A commitment to teaching healthy eating habits

The programme is not only committed to curbing food insecurity, but also to ensuring that students have a healthy and balanced diet. As such, a booklet is being issued by the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in collaboration with the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, which contains ways in which students can make a healthy meal using some of the ingredients offered in the food parcels.

 “We want to teach students how to eat healthy in the cheapest way, because they don’t have a lot of money to buy expensive food products,” Visagie argued.

News Archive

UFS welcomes Prof Francis Petersen in style
2017-05-19

 

Description: Bloem welcoming celebration web story photo Tags: Bloem welcoming celebration web story photo

Photo: Johan Roux

 

Photo Gallery

Through a series of joyous events, the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Qwaqwa, South, and Bloemfontein Campuses officially welcomed Prof Francis Petersen as the 14th Rector of the UFS during the past week.

Celebrations end on a high note
The Bloemfontein Campus would not be upstaged and they came out in full support. Performances by staff and student talent impressed the crowd. Invited school performances brought flair and a youthful energy to the celebrations.

Prof Petersen thanked all in attendance, including his family. “It has been a great time of prosperity and well wishes from all three campuses. I have experienced a sense of belonging. I want this experience for all staff, students, and for all those who visit our campus,” said Prof Petersen.

“There is an African idiom that says: ‘If you want to go fast, travel alone; but if you want to travel far, travel together’. If we want to go far as an institution, we will all need to travel together and that means working together,” Prof Petersen added.

Prof Petersen concluded by stating that the UFS is a good institution, but together, it will be a great institution, not just in Bloemfontein or the Free State, but in South Africa, in Africa, and finally globally.

 

Description: Bloem Welcoming photo 2 Tags: Bloem Welcoming photo 2

Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS
Photo: Johan Roux


 

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