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GEADO donates sanitary towels to community development initiative

19 September 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Anthony Mthembu

As part of its ongoing Dignity Kit Awareness Campaign, launched in 2023, the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office (GEADO) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently contributed to a community development initiative titled ‘Give a Flower for a Change.’ A batch of sanitary towels was recently officially handed over at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus, facilitated by Geraldine Lengau, Senior Officer in the Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice.

According to Lengau, GEADO has made several similar donations on campus, benefitting initiatives such as the ‘No Student Hungry’ (NSH) programme, staff members through the Office of Organisational Development and Employee Wellness, as well as student walk-ins, among others. This latest donation extends the reach of the Dignity Kit Campaign beyond the campus community. ‘’This forms part of our mandate to raise awareness, particularly in uplifting the dignity of women. It is essential for the university to provide these dignity kits, as it demonstrates its commitment to addressing gender-based violence, supporting survivors, and promoting awareness,’’ said Lengau. She further emphasised that such donations foster a broader effort by the university to create a culture of respect, empathy, and support for surrounding communities, thus advancing social justice as articulated in the UFS’s Vision 130 strategic plan.

Supporting Give a flower for a Change

The sanitary towels were handed over to Morwesi Malebo, founder of ‘Give a Flower for a Change’. According to Malebo, the initiative works closely with Unity Primary School in Bloemfontein, aiming to uplift the lives of children, particularly those from previously disadvantaged households. ‘’I have heard of instances at the school where some learners resorted to using cloth during their periods because they lacked access to sanitary towels,” Malebo shared. The donation will now help provide the necessary supplies to these children.

The initiative relies heavily on donations, accepting sanitary towels, school shoes, toiletries, and other essential items. Malebo stressed the significant impact of these contributions, noting that the learners are ‘’incredibly grateful, and the positive change in their lives is visible.” Without such resources, learners often feel self-conscious, which affects their performance at school. Collaborations with partners like GEADO, Malebo added, are crucial to the development of communities like hers. Consequently, she hopes to expand the initiative to high schools across Bloemfontein and maintain a strong partnership with GEADO.

News Archive

Council votes on appointment of senior staff

2004-11-18

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) today voted on the filling of three senior vacancies, including one post at Dean level and two at the level of Vice-Dean.

The Council voted as follows:


Dr Natie Luyt will be offered the post of Dean: Student Affairs	Prof Engela Pretorius will be offered the post of Vice-Dean: Faculty of Humanities	Dr Choice Makhetha will be offered the post of Vice-Dean: Student Affairs

“There are special challenges for the UFS in the short and medium term regarding transformation of our residences, and a certain combination of management qualities and skills is desirable. As a result of the diversity of the UFS’s student community it is therefore important to us to follow a team approach to deal with the challenges. With the combination of Drs Luyt and Makhetha, I believe we will be able to manage student affairs effectively and skillfully,” says Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

“It is wonderful that we are able to celebrate the outcome of this process that has brought forward such excellent candidates who reflect our country’s diversity. It shows that we can achieve the goals of quality and diversity at the same time,” says Prof Fourie.

Prof Pretorius obtained all her qualifications (BA, BA (Hons) (cum laude), MA (cum laude) and D Phil) from the UFS, except for the Certificate in Gender Policy Management (cum laude) which she obtained in 2000 from WITS. She joined the Department of Sociology at UFS in 1980 and has headed the Department since 2001. She acted as Vice-Dean: Faculty of Humanities since July 2004. She has some thirty publications to her credit, published both nationally and internationally and has delivered 20 national and international papers. She is a member of the South African Sociological Association and is a member of the Council of the association and of the Editorial Board of Society in Transition, the society’s journal. She is also a member of the South African Academy for Science and Art and the Federation of African Women Educationalists in South Africa (FAWESA). Project involvement includes the Australian Women’s Executive Development Programme and the project Executive Development of Senior Women in South African Higher Education Institutions. She is also an NRF panelist.

Dr Luyt obtained his qualifications (BA, BA (Hons) (cum laude), MA (cum laude) and D Phil) at the UFS and started his career at the same institution in 1980 as lecturer in Political Science. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 1983 and appointed as Director: Student Affairs in 1997. He has been acting as Dean: Student Affairs since 2003. Dr Luyt completed several work-related training courses, among others a course in ethnic and multiculturality at the Swiss Institute for Federalism and a course in conflict management at the South Tyrolean Economic and Social Institute.

Dr Makheta also obtained all her qualifications (BA, BA (Hons), MA in Political Science and Ph D in Political Science) at the UFS and started working as a student assistant in Political Science at the same institution in 1999. She was promoted to junior assistant in 2000, coordinator and facilitator of Political Science in 2001, assistant/acting Director: Student Affairs in 2001 and acting Director: Student Affairs in 2003. Dr Makhetha is currently a Senior Political Analyst at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The UFS Council also approved the promotion of nine professors to the rank of senior professor. They are Proff Louise Cilliers (Department English and Classical Languages), Dap Louw (Department of Psychology), Philip Nel (Department Afro-Asiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice), Dirk van den Berg (Department of History of Art and Visual Culture Studies) Dingie van Rensburg (Director: Centre for Health Systems Research and Develoment), Andries Raath (Department of Constitutional Law and Philosophy of Law), James du Preez (Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology), Johan Grobbelaar (Department of Plant Sciences) and Louis Scott (Department of Plant Sciences).

This is the first group ever of senior professors at the UFS. The post level was created to provide better career and earnings opportunities for high quality academics and to increase the attractiveness of an academic career to young people.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

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