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Gift of the Givers helps UFS partners combat food insecurity among students

18 March 2024 | Story Athembele Yangaphi | Photo SUPPLIED

Shoe Box — Supporting Student Success: UFS initiatives like the Santa Shoebox Project and the No Student Hungry Programme combat food insecurity, providing essential resources for students and fostering academic growth and community impact.

The University of the Free State's (UFS’s) Division of Student Affairs recently received a donation of food parcels for needy students from the Gift of the Givers Foundation. The donation forms part of the work done by the Division, the Food Environment Office and Kovsie ACT to positively impact students.

Jady Carelse, Assistant Officer in the Food Environment Office, accepted Gift of the Givers’ 250 food parcels at the UFS’s Bloemfontein Campus. “Starting a year can be very overwhelming for most students, especially first-time-entering students, as they are still trying to adapt to the change of environment,” Carelse said. “The Food Environment Office strives to ensure that food insecurity is not part of their struggle.”

Since its inception in 2011, the No Student Hungry Programme (NSH), a first in a higher education institution, continues to support students with food packages, especially those not funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

“The NSH has impacted the lives of many students through the food parcel initiative. We have received testimonies from our previous and current beneficiaries on how the initiative has impacted their lives in pursuing their academics,” added Carelse.

The NSH programme's food parcel initiative and the Santa Shoebox Project by the Division of Student Affairs are vital in supporting students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in their academic pursuits.

The Santa Shoebox Project, which ran from 1 November 2023 to 1 March 2024, is one of many other initiatives that the Kovsie ACT office is highly passionate about. A-Step Assistant, Likhona Dladla, managing Kovsie ACT Community Service Portfolio, said, “We strive to be a helping hand to students by providing them with essential items such as toiletries, sanitary pads, stationery, and clothes to make their academic journey bearable.”

For the 2023/2024 Santa Shoebox Project, UFS residences donated 246 shoeboxes containing donations of toiletries for students in need. Residence Committee members responsible for community portfolios collected the donations from residence students and delivered the items in shoeboxes to the Kovsie ACT office.

“We believe that the donations we have received are of a high standard for the remaining projects and initiatives,” Dladla said.

Kovsie ACT welcomes donations from individuals beyond the university's residential community. Donations can be made directly at the Kovsie ACT office on the Bloemfontein Campus, and the team is ready to assist and accept contributions. Non-residents can also contribute through the annual Big Give donation drive, which encourages donations of non-perishable food items, sanitary pads, and clothing. Look for Big Give donation boxes around campus, gates, and key locations. Stay updated on donation drives and campaigns via campus posters and social media. Please click here to make a monetary donation to support the ‘Back a Buddy’ campaign.

News Archive

Dr Makutoane to present research on world stage in US

2017-06-14

“If the SBL has acknowledged you,
it means the research you are doing
is solid. There are people out there
who want to listen to my paper.”

To present a research paper at an international conference of about 10 000 people and where 100 sessions are taking place at the same time is what dreams are made of for an academic. This is no longer a dream for the humble Dr Tshokolo Makutoane who will share his knowledge at the annual meeting of the prestigious Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).

Dr Makutoane, a senior lecturer at the Department of Hebrew at the University of the Free State (UFS), will be a speaker at the conference in Boston, in the US, from 19-21 November 2017. This after receiving a remarkable travel grant from the SBL to present his paper, titled The Contribution of Linguistic Typology for the Study of Biblical Hebrew in Africa: The Case of Sesotho Pronouns.

Description: Dr Makutoane to present research on world stage in US Tags: Dr Makutoane to present research on world stage in US

Dr Makutoane, senior lecturer at the Department of
Hebrew at the University of the Free State, was
speechless when he heard he will be presenting a
paper at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical
Literature in Boston in the US.
Photo: Jóhann Thormählen

Scholars from around the world participate
His paper is part of a thematic session on “Theoretical Approaches to Anaphora and Pronouns in Biblical Hebrew” in which scholars from Canada, the US, Australia, Europe and Israel will participate.

The research Dr Makutoane will be showcasing in Boston is about teaching Biblical Hebrew in Africa, and more specifically, pronouns, to Sesotho-speaking students.

“SBL is one of the largest organisations in the world and if you get the opportunity to present a paper there, it is one of the highest honours in our context you can have,” Dr Makutoane said.

“If the SBL has acknowledged you, it means the research you are doing is solid. There are people out there who want to listen to my paper.”

According to the SBL website (https://www.sbl-site.org) more than 1 200 academic sessions and workshops will take place at the conference, co-hosted by the SBL and the American Academy of Religion.

Highlight of researcher’s entire career
Receiving the grant and attending the conference for the first time is the highlight of Dr Makutoane’s career. “I feel very grateful, honoured and humbled. I was speechless when I heard about it. I couldn’t help myself and actually cried,” he said.

The grant, given to only four SBL members – the other three are from Samoa, Nigeria and India – is intended to support under-represented and under-resourced scholars who demonstrate a financial need.

Dr Makutoane thanked his mentors, Prof Jacobus Naudé and Prof Cynthia Miller-Naudé, who assisted him with the application. Naudé is a senior professor at the Department of Hebrew and Miller-Naudé a senior professor and head of the department.

Dr Makutoane, who studied Theology at the UFS and is a minister at the NGKA Rehauhetswe church near Bloemfontein, is also grateful to his church that gave him the opportunity to study at the UFS and be able to work at the university.

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