Stellenbosch University’s (SU) development and alumni relations division recently hosted several activities to raise funds for students in need.
The activities, which formed part of the division’s 48-hour Giving Day event, took place between 7 and 8 October, according to Karen Bruns, senior director of development and alumni relations at SU.
“The Giving Day activities are usually across 24 hours – but this year they’re spread out to accommodate social distancing, curfews, and vaccination uptake,” according to a SU press release on 4 October.
Giving Day is a fundraising event run by the development and alumni relations division’s campaign, Bridge the Gap (BtG), said Bruns. BtG is a fundraising campaign that consists of several student-centred initiatives, all of which are intended to alleviate the struggles that SU students may encounter in their time at SU, according to the BtG website.
“[This campaign is] about overcoming the resistance to talking about things – talking about the struggle,” said Sophia Rabie, the organiser of the BtG Giving Day movie marathon.
Sophia Rabie, the organiser of the recent Bridge The Gap Giving Day movie marathon, notes the importance of supporting students in need. AUDIO: Caitlin Maledo
There has been overwhelming student support for the events hosted by BtG, according to Mlungisi Khumalo, who works for the BtG division of the alumni relations office.
“[The PULP Cinema movie marathon], in particular, [has] had an overwhelming response from students wanting to come here to support students,” noted Rabie.
The activities that formed part of the 48-hour Giving Day event recently held by Stellenbosch University’s (SU) development and alumni relations division included 5-a-side soccer, speed tennis and a PULP Cinema movie marathon. Sophia Rabie, the organiser of the Bridge The Gap (BtG) Giving Day movie marathon, is sat next to Mlungisi Khumalo, who also works for BtG. PHOTO: Caitlin Maledo
The movie marathon screened various movies between 08:00 and 20:00 on 9 October at the PULP Cinema in The Neelsie Student Centre, according to the BtG Instagram page.
Future fundraising
Apart from BtG’s Giving Day, each initiative under the BtG umbrella will be running its own series of fundraising events until June 2022, at which point the funds raised will be evaluated, said Khumalo.
“There are also a lot [of other fundraising activities] that will be happening before June,” said Khumalo.
#Move4Food, #Action4Inclusion and #MatiesHaveDrive are among eight initiatives that fall under the BtG umbrella, according to the BtG website.
“We needed to bring together the various student-centred projects created by various players in the university, to see if we could agree [on] how to maximise impact for them all,” said Bruns.
Along with the 48-hour Giving Day event, #Move4Food is one of the eight initiatives that fall under the Bridge The Gap (BtG) annual fundraising campaign. #Move4Food “is a way of providing immediate relief to curb student hunger on our campuses”, according to the BtG website. INFOGRAPHIC: Caitlin Maledo
#Move4Food volunteers will be partaking in this year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, between 16 and 17 October, to raise funds for students in need, according to the #Move4Food impact report for April 2020 to June 2021.
Bridging the gap
#Move4Food is one of the longest running BtG initiatives, and was established to alleviate student hunger, according to the #Move4Food Facebook page.
In 2020, #Move4Food raised R494 450 to support 656 SU students, according to the initiative’s impact report.
“Many of us have nowhere to turn to when we are faced with hunger. It is also significant that I raise the fact that poverty is not a choice,” said an SU student who received assistance from the #Move4Food fund. The student’s comments were relayed to MatieMedia by Lizzie Witbooi, a social worker for SU’s centre for student counselling and development, in order to conceal the identity of the student in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
“[#Move4Food’s] contributions are the reason that we smile and still hold our dignity as students of Stellenbosch University,” the student added.
Mlungisi Khumalo, who works for the Bridge The Gap (BtG) division of the alumni relations office, told MatieMedia that residences’ and students’ responses to the recent 48-hour Giving Day event were overwhelming. “The participation from [residences] has been […] admirable, considering that there’s Covid-19 restrictions,” said Khumalo. PHOTO: Caitlin Maledo