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04 April 2024
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Story Lunga Luthuli
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Photo SUPPLIED
Dr Juliet Kamwendo champions gender-inclusive climate action in Africa. Her expertise at the recently held AFR100 workshop highlighted vital steps towards sustainable and equitable development.
Dr Juliet Kamwendo, Lecturer and Programme Director for Gender Studies in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State, is spearheading efforts to integrate gender considerations into Africa's climate restoration agenda. Reflecting on her involvement, Dr Kamwendo stated, "This is particularly crucial, as women make up almost 50% of the population in Africa, and the depletion and degradation of land affect them disproportionately."
She recently served as a gender expert at the AUDA-NEPAD AFR100 workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from 25 to 29 March 2024. This initiative aims to restore forests and degraded land across Africa by 2030, with a focus on gender equality.
The workshop emphasised the integration of gender perspectives into the AFR100 project, acknowledging the disproportionate impact of land degradation on women. Dr Kamwendo's expertise highlighted the need to empower women in climate change interventions, addressing existing gender inequalities exacerbated by environmental degradation.
“Women – who are primarily responsible for household food security and water provision – bear the brunt of environmental degradation, leading to increased workloads, reduced income opportunities, and heightened vulnerability to climate-related disasters. Furthermore, the loss of forest cover and biodiversity further exacerbates the challenges faced by women, particularly in rural areas where they depend heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods,” added Dr Kamwendo.
Her participation highlights academia's crucial role in fostering inclusive and sustainable development, emphasising interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle complex environmental challenges. Through initiatives such as AFR100, stakeholders are working towards a more resilient and gender-responsive future for Africa.
Bursaries available for postgraduate studies
2016-09-19
Due to the current financial landscape in the higher education sector, the University of the Free State (UFS) has allocated funding for 130 honours degree bursaries, funds for research masters, and doctoral bursaries for studies in 2017.
The closing date for the honours bursaries is 19 December 2016.
Honours bursaries
All South African and international students, from any higher education institution, wishing to pursue their honours degree in 2017 can apply for the honours bursary. The funding is available for both full-time and part-time studies.
Applicants must have a minimum average of 65% in the third-year module in which they want to pursue an honours degree.
Students registering for a first honours degree in 2017 at the UFS will also be eligible for the university’s registration fee waiver. More information and frequently asked questions about the honours bursaries are available here.
Deliver your application form to Pinky Motlhabane at the Postgraduate School on the Bloemfontein Campus or submit it via email to motlhabanegk@ufs.ac.za.
Masters and doctoral bursaries
UFS has allocated funding for 130 honours
degree bursaries for studies in 2017.
Funding is available for the first three years for research masters students and the first four years for doctoral students. The masters and doctoral bursaries are open to all South African and international students. The funding is available for full-time and part-time studies.
Learn more about the masters and doctoral bursaries.
Postgraduate students can apply for the masters and doctoral bursaries at any time.
Other bursaries
UFS academic merit bursaries and other postgraduate funding opportunities are also available for postgraduate students.
• Merit bursaries: The merit bursaries are available for honours, masters and doctoral studies.
• Faculty awards: Various faculty awards are available to students who undertake postgraduate research degrees.
• National Research Foundation (NRF): To apply, please visit the NRF website and follow the application process. Please note that NRF bursary applications will open again on 1 June 2017.
• Independent awards: The UFS Bursaries and Scholarships Guide for Postgraduate Students provides a comprehensive list of these donors as well as information on the available opportunities and application procedures.
For more information about all bursaries, please contact Pinky Motlhabane at the Postgraduate School on +27 51 401 9635 or motlhabanegk@ufs.ac.za.