“The saying ‘it takes a village’ rings especially true for University of Pretoria (UP) students – it takes an entire community to help a student in need complete their studies,” says Deidré Adams, Deputy Director: Fundraising and Alumni Relations at UP.

To rally this community spirit, UP launched it’s Giving Month campaign that encourages donations of all kinds – financial contributions, food items, or other forms of support. The goal is simple but urgent: to end student hunger and reduce financial exclusion – challenges that UP cannot tackle alone.

Of the estimated 56 000 students at UP, about 13 140 undergraduate students received funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS); 1 400 UP students received donor-funded bursaries and 4 400 were awarded other government and/or external bursary support. About 2 000 UP students are on the waiting list for the Student Nutrition and Progress Programme (SNAPP), yet only 250 are able to receive this support.

“One of UP’s main objectives is to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – Zero Hunger; SNAPP is a small step towards achieving this SDG,” says Daisy Ngwenya, Project Co-ordinator for SNAPP.

Qualifying students are either provided with meal credits with which to buy one meal a day at any TuksRes food outlet or with food parcels of non-perishable food items received twice a month.

But it is also about more than achieving a goal on paper for Ngwenya.

“We get such a rewarding response from the students we are supporting,” she says. “There’s nothing like the genuine smile they give you; their gratitude really touches your heart. I once asked a student whether the portions we give them is enough. They said that from where they come from, it is more than enough. It has a profound effect on you, especially if you have not faced the challenges they have faced.”

Hunger and undernutrition significantly affect academic performance. The SNAPP initiative is one way in which UP tries to give its students the best chance of success. Another way is through the Vice-Chancellor and Principal Scholarship Fund, which aims to help “missing-middle” students – those whose household income is not enough to fund tertiary education, but above the income bracket required to qualify for government funding. The fund assists deserving and academically strong students cover the costs of higher education.

“Education is a basic human right and something that everyone should have access to,” Ngwenya says. “Imagine if the 250 students who are supported by SNAPP did not receive that support – that would be 250 students who worry about where their next meal comes from; that would be 250 students who have to study, complete assignments and write exams on an empty stomach, with nothing to give them the energy they need to perform well in an academic context. If the SNAPP initiative wasn’t in place, 250 students wouldn’t be able to complete their studies. That just isn’t fair.”

The same scenario could be applied in a different context to students who would not have been able to access higher education without the Vice-Chancellor and Principal Scholarship Fund.

“This is why donations to the University are so important,” Adams says. “UP would like to help as many students as possible, but we can only do that with the help of donors.”

You can help students in need in the following ways:

• Make a financial donation through the secure online UP Giving portal. Every amount, big or small, contributes to lasting change.
• Donate non-perishable food items such as long-life milk, canned fish, vegetables, corned beef, sugar, tea, coffee, pasta and cooking oil. Donations can be dropped off at Loftus Stadium or email Dagmar Kahn at [email protected]
• Join us at our Food Pack-a-Thon in support of SNAPP on Hatfield campus on 30 July 2025, at which the Vodacom Bulls and ISUZU Bulls Daisies will help pack food parcels for UP students, adding an extra touch of excitement to a worthy event. Please register here to sign up (spaces are limited), and please bring along at least one non-perishable food item – remember to check the expiry date.
• Spread the word by liking, sharing and reposting UP Giving Month content on social media. Visibility helps increase reach and multiply the campaign’s impact.

>> Hear about SNAPP directly from Daisy