Stellenbosch University
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Maties want to end student hunger with big collective initiative
Author: Corporate Communications Division
Published: 20/08/2018

R10 million in 100 days to create sustainable food banks on the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campuses to ensure that, for the next three years, no Matie has to study on an empty stomach. This is the ambitious aim of Stellenbosch University's (SU) student-inspired #Move4Food drive, which will be launched today (20 August) and run until 27 November 2018, which is Giving Tuesday at SU.

Giving Tuesday has expanded from the United States in recent years to become a global day of giving.

Students, staff and alumni will engage in a wide range of peer to peer fundraising activities, like participating in the upcoming Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on 23 September 2018, to raise funds for the cause. Olympic Games silver medallist and SU alumna Elana Meyer challenged Maties rector and vice-chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers to take part in the race, and he accepted.

Earlier this year, De Villiers participated in the Cape Town Cycle Tour with alumni and friends of the University to raise money for student bursaries, and he is already practising hard for the marathon in September. He has previously run the 'Big 5' marathons – Boston, New York, London, Chicago and Berlin.

“One student that goes hungry on our campus is one too many," says De Villiers. “I am putting my time, energy and money into fighting student hunger – and I challenge staff, students, donors, alumni and friends of the University, as well as the general public, to do the same. Let's team up to help our students finish their race."

Over 60 runners have already signed up and 20 fundraising pages have been created. Among others, the SU Registrar, Dr Ronel Retief, have entered the 10km race.

Launch event

The launch event on Monday 20 August takes place on the Rooiplein on the Stellenbosch Campus. The event includes a mini-concert at 12:00 while a fundraising concert will take place in the Endler Hall in Victoria Street at 13:00. Entrance fee is anything between R10 and R100 or a non-perishable food item.


 

Food insecurity prevalent food insecurity and the need for the most basic items are becoming more prevalent among students in South Africa. Despite perceptions that SU maintains a privileged position, at least 6 in every 100 newcomer students (first years and first-year postgraduate students) at SU are at risk. This translates into 465 newcomers (out of a total of 7744) – compounded by students in other years.
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“No student should be without food or basic needs," says Mr Ben Moolman, Student Representative Council member for Strategic Initiatives and Leadership Development. “We want to create a sustainable solution for students. Although the need goes far beyond food, this is now the most urgent need."

With the recent announcement of fee-free education, there is a general perception that students from working-class families receive financial support that covers all their university costs. “Not so," says Karen Bruns, Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations. “There are caps on each expense component, like tuition, accommodation and food allowances. This results in shortfalls that the student is still liable for. The most pressing times for students are at the beginning of the year when students are still waiting for funding to be approved and just before final exams, when the food allowances dry up," she explains.  

  • Those who want to support #Move4Food can sign up to run in the Cape Town marathon or make an online donation to the cause: https://www.givengain.com/cc/su100/
  • There are various other ways to #Move4Food as well, including virtual races, activity tracker challenges, sports days, commuting to work and making a cash donation. Visit http://bit.ly/Move4Food-ideas for some fun suggestions.
  • Send an e-mail to ontwikkeling@sun.ac.za for more information.

 

MORE ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY

A recent study by the National Research Foundation has revealed that more than 30% of university students are food insecure. These findings were announced at the National Colloquium on Access to Food for Student, hosted in the Western Cape this week, seeking to find solutions to an emerging 'hunger crisis'.

Discussions centred on the effects that hunger plays in the student dropout rate. “If people are hungry‚ they cannot concentrate‚ they become stressed and anxious. A number of these students are working on top of studying and this‚ too‚ affects their academic performance," says Stephen Devereux of the National Research Foundation.

(Source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-08-15-30-of-university-students-are-hungry-conference-told/)

  • Click here for an article on food insecurity

    Picture: 
    Elana Meyer challenges Maties rector to participate in the marathon