Port Alfred varsity joins hunger fight

© Emanuele Gnani – 123RF.com

Port Alfred-based Stenden South Africa head Wouter Hensens said yesterday efforts at the campus in recent years to try to ease the plight of less fortunate people in the area had been the catalyst for the university to sign up with Presidents United to Solve Hunger (Push).

"Though our community development agenda is primarily focused on educational activities with a sustainable impact, one cannot escape the fact that hunger must be overcome first."

Although already deeply involved in community development initiatives in the area, Hensens said the recent accession to the international Push initiative meant the university would now work towards ensuring food security too.

"This will initially translate into driving research in this area to further identify the scope of the problems, the initiatives in place, and the effect of these activities."

The campaign was originally started at Auburn University in the US state of Alabama, and has spread rapidly around the world.

According to Hensens, Auburn University was now planning to send two researchers to Port Alfred to work on the project.

"Our ultimate aim is to be able to refer to the Ndlambe area as hunger-free."

In the Netherlands, Stenden University of Applied Sciences said nearly 50 universities worldwide had banded together to try to address global hunger.

Stenden International executive board chairman Leendert Klaassen said leaders from universities around the world had committed themselves to the initiative by recently signing the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutritional Security at the United Nations in New York City.

Push was started last year after leaders of more than 30 universities in the US, Canada and Central America met to discuss the problem.

Auburn University president Jay Gogue said what made the event especially significant was the recognition that universities had a tremendous role to play in addressing grand global challenges.

According to Klaassen, the initiative slotted in well with Stenden's vision of ''serving to make a better world".

"Our international branch campuses, like Stenden South Africa, have a powerful role in the sustainable development of our local communities."

He said the recent Hunger Forum and public signing ceremony marked the first time universities around the world were sharing a collective focus on ending food insecurity.