Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
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

KovsieSport Director named as top SA coach
2014-06-27

 

DB Prinsloo
Director of KovsieSport, DB Prinsloo, was named as South Africa’s Coach of the Year. He is currently coaching the renowned Johan Cronjé – the best SA men’s athlete for 2013, member of the SA Commonwealth team for 2014 and a former Kovsie. Last year Prinsloo was also the team coach for the South African team that competed in Moscow at the world championships.
Several of South Africa’s leading athletes are trained by Prinsloo. Apart from the loads of medals his athletes won at national championships, he trained quite a few athletes who donned the green and gold. Boy Soke and Dumisane Hlaselo are among them.

Furthermore, four of the ten leading athletes in the junior rankings of all times are current and former athletes of Prinsloo. He even trained top-class athletes such as René Kalmer and Annerie Ebersohn.

Since his high school years, Prinsloo had a great passion for athletics. He was himself an excellent athlete and used to be a former South African senior 3 000 m steeplechase champion.

Johan Cronjé’s performance on the track is a good example of Prinsloo’s talent as coach. Last year Cronjé was the only South African to win a medal at the World athletics championships in Russia, with his third place in the 1500 m. In addition, Cronje improved the South African record in the 1 500 m twice last year under Prinsloo’s guidance. Cronjé recently improved Johan Fourie’s 27-year-old South African mile record (1987: 3:50,82) to 3:50,70.

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept