WSU launches ‘NO! to Student Hunger’ campaign

Walter Sisulu University has launched a fundraising campaign to support students struggling with food insecurity and who have been excluded from National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding.

The WSU NO! to Student Hunger campaign aims to raise R2.2m, to provide food parcels to more than 3,000 students in urgent need.

The institutional student representative council (ISRC) has contributed R300,000, from its budget allocated to it by the institution, and the vice-chancellor’s office has added R500,000 to this cause.

If the initiative is able to raise a further R2.2m, a total amount of R3m will be used to provide food parcels.

Since Monday last week, the ISRC, with the full backing of WSU, has been approaching businesses for funding support.

The university is calling on the local community, businesses, alumni, and potential donors to support this vital campaign.

SRC secretary Sihle Mdingi expressed deep concern over the plight of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who battled hunger.

Though the university’s different campuses have been running a similar programme separately, it is the first time it has been integrated and rolled out at an institutional level. 

“The programme of food parcels has been running every year.

“In previous years, it was done per campus, but this year we did it as the ISRC, where we raise funds for all campuses,” Mdingi said. 

“This year we did it because there was a large number of students who had been excluded and defunded by NSFAS.

“Because we have seen how they are struggling, [we] took a decision to go and ask for assistance, in terms of donations,” he said.

He said they were optimistic that good Samaritans would answer their call. 

“We are still sitting at R800 000, but we have sent letters to companies, people we know, local businesses, having hope they will donate.

“We are hoping that by [this week], there is going to be a response and that we will be able to provide them [students] with food parcels.” 

He said many students had NSFAS-related problems. 

“We have instances where NSFAS funds the students and then they get defunded [and] some in the process even stand a chance to lose their residency but manage to convince the university that they cannot get [kicked] out of res. 

“We didn’t want some students to be in need while others have got access to food, so we are trying to bridge the gap.”

A second year IT student, who does not receive NSFAS support, and who wanted to remain anonymous, said life was a struggle.

“For us, students who have not been funded but are coming from disadvantaged homes, life has not been easy,” she said.

“We rely on such initiatives [food parcels] to live because even back at home life is not so easy. 

“We truly appreciate it when we receive these parcels because they make life easier.

“But at the same time, we are hoping that NSFAS would also look at our plight and include us.”

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