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18 October 2022 | Story Nombulelo Shange
UFS Womxn’s Forum
Kelebogile Olivier, Criminology Lecturer and UFS WF Secretary, Lutho Gwarubana, CAC (Central Act Committee) Member and Engineering Sciences student, and Nombulelo Shange, Sociology Lecturer

UFS Womxn’s Forum members recently came together to support the KovsieAct’s donation drive for the Jagersfontein Community. The handover took place took place at the KovsieAct office of the University of the Free State Bloemfontein on Thursday 13 October 2022. The Jagersfontein community recently experienced a series of natural disasters when two dams collapsed less than weeks apart in the month of September, flooding the community and engulfing people’s homes with sludge. The collapse, caused by a combination of harmful mining practices, poor government regulation and municipal negligence, caused many to lose their homes and livelihood.

KovsieAct has been running a collection drive on all three University of the Free State Campuses: the South Campus, Qwaqwa Campus and Bloemfontein Campus. UFS WF wanted to support this donation drive, because it is more than just a structure that organises around university work and projects; it is a structure that cares deeply for the community and the variety of social justice issues that oppress people of colour and womxn inside and outside of the UFS WF structure. The forum understands that to emancipate and empower those within their structure, they must empower the communities they come from first. especially when they are faced with challenges like ecological injustice, poverty, crime and violence; issues that disproportionally affect women and people of colour in South Africa and across the world.

Members of the forum came together, pulling together what little resources they have, as well as their time and passion, to run their own mini-donation drive. They were able to collect various homeware items, including pots, plates, cutlery and many other things. An ongoing knitting project that forms part of the forum, but that has participants who are both members and not members of the UFS WF, donated beautifully crafted artistic baby blankets and beanies for all ages. This project is led by UFS WF executive committee member, Nelia Oosthuysen, from the Office of International Affairs. Oosthuysen runs this project alongside the UFS’s remarkable and talented women, including Lourette Wilson, Yolanda Liebenberg, Zaynab Mobara and many others. Oosthuysen adds:

I run this project alongside the UFS Women’s Forum, as well as a few external remarkable and talented group of dedicated women who want to make a difference in the world! Our contribution is inspired by Mother Theresa’s work and her famous quote that says: “Charity isn't about pity; it is about love … Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

Nelia Oosthuizen

Image above: Nelia Oosthuysen from the Office of the International Affairs and UFS WF Ex-Officio.

Geraldine Meyer and Oosthuysen show off some of the blankets

Image above: Geraldine Meyer and Oosthuysen show off some of the blankets

The donations were received by KovsieAct staff and Engineering Science student, Lutho Gwarubana, who works closely with the office and shared his deep concern for Jagersfontein both as a person who cares deeply about positive community upliftment and as an Engineering Science student. He believes professions such as his study area have an ethical, professional and social responsibility to ensure that their work takes place even in the most marginalised communities in order to improve lives, while also preventing similar disasters in the future. Gwarubana adds”

I think that the collaboration between KovsieACT and the UFS WF will have a good impact on the lives of individuals in the Jagersfontein community. As a young engineering student and member of KovsieACT, I hope to gain information that can help prevent such tragedies and be a beneficial impact in our community.   

Gwarubana’s desire to be in service of others is nurtured and guided by Teddy Sibiya, Senior Assistant Officer at Kovsie Support Services. Sibiya is leading the KovsieAct donation drive and was also there to accept the UFS WF donation. Sibiya added:

It is indeed a privilege to have organizations of this calibre at our university, with people who are prepared to give towards the active, civic, teaching mission and unselfish upliftment of our community. The UFS Womxn’s Forum, a foundation known for empowering communities in various ways, has once again proven its diligence in caring for the community when it donated towards the Jagersfontein relief. The collaboration of different organisations really allows the University he Free State to care for neighbouring communities.

 

News Archive

Qwaqwa Campus launches No Student Hungry Programme
2013-05-02

 

Samkelo Duma (white shirt) flanked by some of the guests during the launch of the NSH Programme on the Qwaqwa Campus.
Photo: Thabo Kessah
02 May 2013

The Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State launched the No Student Hungry (NSH) Programme on Friday 26 April 2013. The programme aims to provide needy students with a daily balanced meal to enable them to concentrate in class and ultimately obtain their degrees. The programme – initiated by Vice-Chancellor and Rector Prof Jonathan Jansen in 2011 on the Bloemfontein Campus – already feeds hundreds of students.

Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs who represented the Rectorate, encouraged students in need to focus more on their desire for greatness.

“Through this programme, you will be able you to shift your focus from the hunger pangs and rather focus all your energy on the hunger to make Africa great,” said Buys. “We want you to be different from the rest of your generation that is reluctant to compete for greatness. Many of your peers prefer mediocrity and it is our wish that through this programme, you can start learning to compete with the best,” Buys impelled.

According to the Qwaqwa Campus programme co-coordinator, Selloane Phoofolo, NSH operates on a primary and a secondary level.

“The primary level offers a food bursary to the students whose academic performance is above 65 percent and not receiving any form of financial assistance. For the 2013 academic year, we had 53 students applying and 31 have qualified. They are getting a meal for R25.00 a day at the Dining Hall,” said Phoofolo.

She further explained that, “On the secondary level, we provide monthly food parcels to 19 students who did not qualify for the food bursary. These food parcels are donated by Pick n Pay and Stop Hunger Now SA. For this, beneficiaries must undertake 40 hours of community service during the year. They must also partake in student activities. Their academic progress is monitored by the Office of Social Work.”

One of the beneficiaries, a final-year BA degree student Samkelo Duma, expressed his gratitude towards the UFS for giving him an equal opportunity to those in more fortunate situations to do his best in his studies. “It is difficult to study and concentrate on an empty stomach and I must say that the NSH is very helpful. I do not just get a meal, but I get a healthy meal to keep me going throughout the tough day,” Duma said.

Also present at the launch were the patrons of the programme, Ms Grace Jansen and Dr Carin Buys. They volunteer their time and energy to raise funds for the project.

Students apply for the allowances and are selected on the basis of financial need, academic results, active participation in student life programmes and commitment to give something back to the community.

You can also invest in these students' future by contributing R10.00 each time you sms the word 'Answer' to 38722.

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