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10 May 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Supplied
Alina Ntsiapane
Alina Ntsiapane obtained second place in the partners division of the ILRI CapDev Grand Challenge research pitching contest.

Alina Ntsiapane, a PhD student at the University of the Free State, obtained second place in the partners category of the International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) CapDev Grand Challenge research pitching contest, which took place on 13 April 2022. The pitching contest is the first part of the CapDev Grand Challenge, which is a 10-month process aimed at equipping scientists with the necessary skills to contribute to new research. 

Presenting Research to a Tough Panel of Judges 

Ntsiapane was one of 30 contestants who presented their research virtually to a panel of esteemed judges. “It was not easy, it was very challenging for me because it was my first time presenting my PhD study and I had to do it live on an international platform,” expressed Ntsiapane. Although each contestant is thoroughly prepared for their respective presentations, Ntsiapane argues that some of the questions asked by the judges can be quite daunting. “Some of their questions were very challenging and I did not know how to respond to them, but they made me aware of ways in which I needed to improve my research,” she stated. However, regardless of the intensity of the pitching contest, Ntsiapane’s research allowed her to progress to the next stage of the CapDev Grand Challenge. She will be part of the rigorous 10-month training process that will begin in June 2022.

Ntsiapane’s Research Project

Ntsiapane’s PhD research focuses on the production of smallholder wool as a means to improve livelihoods in both Thaba ’Nchu and Botshabelo in the Free State. In fact, in the research Ntsiapane highlights that there has been a significant decline in the production of wool within the last three decades. As such, Ntsiapane believes it is imperative to create spaces that allow for the training of small-scale farmers, so that the production of wool can still be a possibility.
Consequently, Ntsiapane hopes that the 10-month training she will receive from the CapDev Grand Challenge will not only allow her to grow but will assist in opening doors for her. “I’m hoping to get exposure and to make connections with policy makers and the donors as well. This will assist me in achieving my goals,” she explained. 

Future Endeavours After the Training Course

Subsequent to the training course, Ntsiapane would like to utilise that knowledge by continuing to make her most recent project a reality. Ntsiapane is currently working on developing a television show aimed at providing adequate training to small-scale farmers, so that they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and understanding of the industry in which they find themselves. As such, being part of the CapDev Grand Challenge will allow her to learn some of the necessary ways in which this dream could become a reality. 

News Archive

Second OSM concert inspires Heidedal youth
2016-12-08

Description: OSM Heidedal concert Tags: OSM Heidedal concert 

Sehle Mosole, left, and Jonandrea Pofadder back,
with the children from the ROC Foundation during the
second OSM community outreach in Heidedal, Bloemfontein.
Photo: Supplied

“The project is special because it is an event in the community, by the community.” This is what Gerda Pretorius, lecturer in the Odeion School of Music (OSM) at the University of the Fee State, said about the second music concert hosted by the OSM in Heidedal, Bloemfontein.

The concert, in collaboration with the Reach Our Community (ROC) Foundation on 26 November 2016, was a follow-up on the concept that was started last year. As part of the outcomes of the MUSE3706 module, the third-year Music Education students engage in a project in a specific environment.  For this project the MUSE team, led by Pretorius and Anchen Froneman, collaborated with the ROC Foundation in Heidedal. Two third-year students in the OSM, Sehle Mosole and Jonandrea Pofadder, facilitated the event in 2016.

Long relationship between ROC and UFS

Since 2008, the UFS has successfully partnered with ROC through service-learning and community-engagement projects in which students from across all seven faculties participate. The foundation strives to address the challenges resulting from factors such as poverty, unemployment, HIV/Aids, single parenting, lack of guardianship, and physical and sexual abuse. In the Afterschool Care programme, the children engage in educational, cultural, and recreational activities.

Children who form part of the foundation’s Afterschool Care programme, showed their impressive music skills to their parents and guardians in attendance.

Spontaneous participation by community

“I was deeply touched by the spontaneous participation and appreciation of the community for art-related – in particular music and dance – events,” said Pretorius. A highlight was the community’s involvement in the event and the value it adds to the students’ organising skills.

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