University Social Responsibility efforts have been highlighted throughout October. As part of the campaign, the University of Pretoria (UP) held a photography competition in which students were encouraged to take a picture which encapsulates a social responsibility project they’re involved in.

Eight winners were selected, and they won prizes of UP Shop vouchers ranging from R1 500 to R100.

Daisy Mofomme won first prize for her picture based on an outreach project run with the Department of Oral Hygiene. “The Department has multiple outreach programmes to educate the community on the importance of taking care of their mouth and how to do that,” Mofomme says. “The outreach includes going to nursery schools, primary schools and special needs schools. The oral hygiene outreach finds unique and exciting ways to educate children and leave a mark in their lives.”

Ane Mhlungu, a Social Work student and a member of the UP Students Social Workers Association, won the second prize with a photo highlighting an Older Persons’ Month initiative. “This photo shows that the University engages with the community, in this case elderly people,” Mhlungu says. “This gives older persons a sense of belonging and reminds them they are still important members of our society. It is a sustainable initiative because we plan to visit again. Giving the elderly toiletries we had gathered brought big smiles to their faces.”

Rochley Bosman won the third prize for his photograph titled “It is about what makes you happy”. He said it was the first time that House Education went to the Tateni Community Centre in Mamelodi and did an outreach project there. “The community engagement programme enabled me to take the skills, knowledge and values that I gained from UP and apply it in real life,” Bosman says. “I feel like UP is really my home away from home because ever since I chose UP, my life has never been the same. To win in this competition shows that the University cares about its students and that I am not just a number. It also taught me that when you do good it will be returned to you multiple times. It opened my mind to the possibility of doing good for others by improving myself and living THE UP WAY.”

Antonie Joubert won the fourth prize for a picture showing his friends building a jungle gym at a school for children with autism in Bethlehem, Free State. This was done to improve the children’s motor skills. “Through teamwork we were able to complete our task successfully and now the children of the school can spend endless hours on the jungle gym – enjoying their childhood to the maximum!” Joubert says.

Chané Hall’s picture representing the unity created when a student reaches out to the community won the fifth prize. “It is our social responsibility as students and as humans to reach out and help our community where we can,” Hall says.

Jessica Caldeira’s sixth-placed picture showed dietetics students helping to grow healthy vegetables for schoolchildren. “This photo illustrates university social responsibility at the University of Pretoria as it shows how UP healthcare students are engaging in surrounding communities, educating the people about appropriate healthcare and adequate nutrition, and providing communities with sustainable ways to feed themselves and their children in a healthy way that will ensure optimal health and growth and prevention of illness,” Caldeira says.

Annita Kupa’s seventh-place prize was for a group picture taken of engineering UP students with the dollhouse they built for children at Pennies Pre-School in the Pretoria CBD. “Our dollhouse provides the kids with a building block for their learning development, as their teachers will be able to use the dollhouse during the kids’ playtime or learning time to illustrate what a home is like,” Kupa says.

Tshwanelo Mabusa’s ‘Sanitary Kindness’ won eighth place. “The photographed girl is placing a pad into the sanitary dispenser,” Mabusa explains. “This may seem like a simple donation, however imagine not being able to go to school because you cannot afford sanitary products. This picture illustrates a method to combat the problem, helping to ensure that there are free feminine hygiene products readily available for each girl who cannot afford them. I would like to applaud the anonymous student who made the donation box and placed it in the bathroom.”

UP thanks all the participants who entered the photography competition. You showed that the University of Pretoria has a positive IMPACT on people’s lives, and proved again that our students LIVE THE UP WAY.