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Fighting Food Insecurity at the University of the Free State

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

Kovsiesport - Results

2009-03-09

Varsity Cup: Shimlas (39) vs Tuks (22) - 2 March 2009
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

1. Krieket:

UV 1 vs Polisie 2

UV 1 maak 216/8 en Polisie 2 87/10

UV wen met 129 lopies

Peshawars vs Rocklands

Rocklands 65/10 en Peshawars kry 67/1

Peshawars wen met 9 paaltjies

2. Hokkie

Wedstryde gespeel op Saterdag – 28/02/09

Kovsie mans vs Tuks
Verloor 0 – 3

Kovsies dames vs Tuks
Verloor 4 – 0

3. Rugby

Wedstryde gespeel op 02/03/09

Shimlas vs Pukke
Wen 39 – 22

Armentum vs Amajuba (Maties)
Wen 61 – 19

4. Atletiek

2 S.A Atlete het deelgeneem aan die Southern Region Cross Country
Championships in Mauritius op 28/02/09 naamlik:

Windy Jonas in die Mans 8km (Tyd – 25:35)
Boy Soke in die Seniors 12km (Tyd – 35:52)

4. Tennis

Het proewe gehad oor die naweek en die volgende spelers is in die onderskeie spanne
opgeneem.

Mans:                                                                 Dames:

1. Reon Henning                                        1. Elrien de Villiers
2. Duke Munro                                          2. Rensia Henning
3. Willem Vorster                                      3. Christine Keyser
4. Robert Kot                                            4. Nicola Dormehl
5. Willem Steenkamp                                 5. Jeanne Du Plessis
6. HB Steyn                                              6. Elizna Barnard
7. Wynand Schoeman                                7. Marna Louw
8. De Villiers Koster                                  8. Belinda Strydom
9. PW Holtzhausen                                    9. Jolene Botha
10.Divan Olivier                                         10.Sumandi Nel
11.Hendri Steyn                                         11.Bernadette du Toit
12.Ruan Olivier                                          12.PETRO TAUTE
13.Renier Van Vreden                                13.Nicolene Gordon
14.Deon Stander                                        14.Lianie Oberholster
15.Pieter Burger                                         15.Melanie Patrick
16.Willie Harber                                         16.Elria Munro
17.Conrad Dormehl                                    17.Sunelle Van Vuuren
18.Gideon Roux                                         18.Some Olivier
19.Andries Swart                                       19.Lize Venter
20.Schoeman Serfontein
21.Marthinus Ras
22.Lyndon V/D Haer
23.Johan Scherrer
24.Phillip Smit
25.Adriaan Oosthuizen
26.Gerhard Olivier
27.Wessel Wessels
28.Pieter Van Rooyen
29.Pierre Lombaard
30.Alex Marais
31.Jacques Krause

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