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Making a difference with the No Student Hungry Programme

10 October 2022 | Story Edzani Nephalela | Photo Kekeletso Takang

Gift of the Givers UFS Food donation — Malefetsane Motsoeneng, Senior Residence Head Officer, Housing and Residence Affairs, receives a list of the items donated by Gift of the Givers for the University of the Free State's No Hungry Student Programme, which aims to curb food insecurity.

Food insecurity in the country is increasing, and with the dire impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the population faces high levels of hunger. As a result, many students in institutions of higher learning struggle to get meals, which threatens their academic success.

To help those students in need, the University of the Free State (UFS) No Student Hungry Programme (NSH), in conjunction with the Gift of the Givers, has contributed toward improving student success and well-being by donating food parcels.

“Gift of the Givers has been delivering these parcels to our Qwaqwa campus since 2020, then to the Bloemfontein Campus, and most recently to the South Campus, where 200 food parcels were donated. This makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our students and provides significant support to our office,” said Annelize Visagie, Senior Officer in the Food Environment Office within the Division of Student Affairs.

While all the NSH programme initiatives have some positive impacts, there are challenges. Queuing for food handouts is often seen by students as one of the most undignified experiences they could have. This includes the stigma attached to being seen as poor and hungry. However, to ensure that the students receive appropriate emotional support and do not feel humiliated about seeking help, the UFS has guaranteed that they receive counselling at the campus Student Counselling Development Centre. These professional services are also considered a learning experience for many students, reducing the stigma.

“The registrations and food collections are confidential since you can also apply digitally by email or an online application. Then we can discuss the ideal time for you to come and collect your package. These packages, including food and toiletries, are packed in bags from well-known grocery stores that we get from our sponsors, so it is impossible to identify whether they are from the programme or store-bought. The stigma is also fading because funded students now accompany their friends to collect their food parcels,” said Malefetsane Motsoeneng, Senior Residence Head Officer, Housing and Residence Affairs.

He added that the students appreciate this programme and would send him messages such as “Thank you so much. If it weren’t for this programme, I don’t know what I would’ve done; now I can focus on my studies.”

While not all needs are satisfied, the programme is making a difference in the lives of students and families by ensuring they have access to healthy meals. This is significant because some students travel as far as Dinaweng, a community 9km from the South Campus. This implies that many walk for about four hours every day to get an education.

Food has become expensive at the current rate of the economy; nonetheless, maize meal, sugar, rice, and cooking oil were among the essential commodities supplied. Photo: Supplied

News Archive

UFS appoints a Vice-Rector: Operations

2011-03-20

Prof. Nicholas Morgan

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) has approved the appointment of Prof. Nicholas Morgan as Vice-Rector: Operations, at its meeting on Friday, 11 March 2011. He has been appointed in the position of Prof. Niel Viljoen, who is retiring on 31 March 2011.

Prof. Morgan formerly served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Technology, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, Interim Vice-Chancellor at Walter Sisulu University and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Transkei.

Prof. Morgan is a former Fulbright Fellow and holds a Master of Science degree from Cornell University in New York, an M.B.A. from Stellenbosch University and a B.Com in accounting and business economics from the University of the Western Cape.

He has held positions at various universities and served as a member of various international professional associations, including the American Industrial Relations Research Association, the Industrial Relations Research Association of South Africa, the South African Institute for Management Sciences and the American Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.

He has been published in numerous publications, and served on the editorial boards of the SA Journal of Business Management between 1993 and 1995 and the Journal of Human Resources Management between 1999 and 2009.

In addition, Prof. Morgan has also developed and presented numerous training programmes and workshops for NGOs, parastatals and unions in the private and public sector.

He has lectured courses in Industrial Relations, Strategic Management, Quantitative Management techniques and Marketing from first-year to postgraduate level at the University of the Western Cape, University of Cape Town and Cornell University.

Prof. Morgan will take up the position on 1 April 2011.

Media Release
18 March 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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