The Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology’s Community-Based Module (JCP) is a project-orientated basis where students are required to do fieldwork and report on their experiences and lessons learned from the fieldwork. Although the lockdown rules have kept the students off campus and apart from their group members, the JCP students have still managed to reach out and put their efforts together to make a difference during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Emma Carson, a second-year Civil Engineering student, and her group (whose members are currently in different provinces) managed to put their efforts together and made masks for the Weskoppies Psychiatric hospital.

The group indicated that even though making masks might seem like a small contribution, they are happy to have helped. When reflecting on the project, Emma said “I learnt how to sew which is something I didn’t know how to do before. I also learnt that just because something, like a shortage of masks, isn’t really spoken about in the media as a cause for big concern doesn’t mean that it isn’t a big problem. I am certain the 50 masks we made and delivered made a pretty big impact in this situations.”

Sadaf Rahimi, a second-year chemical engineering student, delivered her hand-made masks to Middelburg Provincial hospital. Sadaf says that she realised that we are all facing something that is new and every ounce of help is necessary because everyone is afraid and has no idea of what the future holds.

More than anything, these JCP students are learning to show compassion as Sadaf reflected that “In the chaos that is this pandemic, we need kindness more than ever. I understand that as a community we are not separated from each other, even through isolation, and social distancing teamwork is required.”