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10 March 2022
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Story Anthony Mthembu
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Photo Unsplash
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.
Architecture does it again!
2009-03-27
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From the left are: Prof. Jan Smit, Head of the Department of Architecture at the UFS, Wim Steenkamp, National Corobrik Architecture Student of the Year 2008, and Ms Petria Jooste-Smit, Wim's tutor and former lecturer at the department.
Photo: Stephen Collett
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Architecture does it again!
A student from the Department of Architecture at the University of the Free State (UFS), Wim Steenkamp, was recently named National Corobrik Architecture Student of the Year 2008.
This is the second time in the past three years that a student from the department has won this prestigious competition.
The award, given to the best student in his/her final year of the M.Arch. (Prof) degree in South Africa, entails prize money to the value of R40 000.
“The competition was of a high standard and we are extremely proud of Wim. Seven architecture departments of universities and universities of technology took part in the competition. Students had to submit the final project that was used to obtain their professional degree. This entails the design, technical drawings, a model of a building of their choice as well as a thesis explaining the theory and approach,” said Prof. Jan Smit, Head of the Department of Architecture at the UFS.
In his project, Wim created and designed “a memorable place for the Herero culture and their history through an architectural intervention in the desert/cultural landscape”. His tutor was Ms Petria Jooste-Smit, a former lecturer at the department.
According to Prof. Smit, the department has already won this competition six times out of the 22 times it has been presented. “This once again confirms the high regard the department has in the architecture field in South Africa. It is also proof of the quality of our staff and the programmes we offer,” said Prof. Smit.
The past year was an exceptional one for the department. It received unconditional accreditation from the South African Council for the Architecture Profession (SACAP) for all three courses offered; and its students won the Tripod Photography Competition, the National Cement and Concrete Institute Competition for honours students, and the Carl and Emily Fuchs Foundation Student Prestigious Prize.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
26 March 2009
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