The Roots Driven Rural Development Community Engagement project of the Unisa Department of Geography and the Greater Rustenburg Community Forum was so to speak “placed on the map” on 8 March 2013 when a regional round of the International Barbara Petchenik children’s map drawing competition was held at the Thlolego Ecovillage. The Barbara Petchenik Award was created by the International Cartographic Association in 1993 in honour of a past Vice president of the ICA and cartographer who worked through her life with maps related to children. The international competition takes place every two years according to a predetermined theme. The theme of the 2013 competition is: My place in today’s world (This will also be the theme for the 2015 competition).

The meaning of the theme of the competition was enhanced by the location of the round of the competition, at the ecovillage. According to the website (http://gen.ecovillage.org/) “Thlolego is a small rural-based living and learning community that offers certification courses in permaculture, sustainable building technology, and ecovillage design incorporating local African traditions. In order to respond to the growing challenge of prosperity and poverty living side by side, programmes are being developed to train trainers in science, solar technology, biology, sanitation, herbals, ecology and household food security. “  This is indeed a very interesting place in today’s world and the maps from rural schools make a valuable unique contribution to the variety of perspectives of children from different contexts.
The aims of the competition were certainly met as we received many creative representations of the world; and cartographic awareness and consciousness of their environment were enhanced.  We were honored in that Prof Elri Liebenberg, former head of the Department of Geography at Unisa , and the national coordinator of the map drawing competition could join us for the event.

Melanie Nicolau, currently the head of the Geography Department at Unisa, created a fun mapping exercise with the learners. They were divided in four groups, named Africa, America, Asia and Europe.  With the assistance of facilitators they firstly had to find their continent on a globe and a flat map of the world and then identify a country and city on their continent. They had to share with the bigger group their answers and also indicate what is special about their continent – of course Africa has the “big five” and other animals, friendly people and the Amarula tree.
Anna de Jager from the Geography Department at Unisa shared some technical background on the importance of maps after which the prizes of the categories were handed out by Bonolo  and Alma from the CRCF. Learners who attended the event not only had much fun, they also learnt a lot and could go home with a beautiful T-shirt with a printed image of one of the entries of a previous competition. Six maps will eventually be selected to represent South Africa at the ICA International Cartographic Conference in Dresden, Germany where an international winner will be selected in each category. More information about the competition can be found on their website (http://icaci.org)

Author: Anna de Jager, Department of Geography

Mrs Fransa Ferreira, Dr Alice Barlow-Zambodla (SAIDE) and Prof Maggie Linington (Executive Dean: CAES) congratulating students receiving their certificates

Unisa’s Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Sciences under the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES), hosted a certification ceremony event in East London in the Eastern Cape Province on 31 May 2012. The programme came about as a result of the partnership between Unisa and the South African Institute of Distance Education in the design, development and implementation of the study programme. The intention was to promote the Centre’s Programme in Household Food Security (PHFS).

CAES is offering the PHFS as a short learning programme (NQF level 5). The programme is targeting community development advocates and trains them in household food security facilitation as community-based workers and is designed to ensure that the enrolled personnel such as community development workers, community health workers, peer educators, etc. receive practical community-based experiential training to facilitate change and empower communities towards sustainable practices.

The programme was founded because the livelihood of many communities in rural areas struggle with access to adequate and nutritious food. Villagers have to travel long distances to buy food and in the event that there is no money, poverty is rife.

Two hundred and sixteen students, seventeen with distinctions, from twenty learning venues all over the Eastern Cape completed this programme during the 2011 academic year. This certificate ceremony event served to congratulate them on their achievement and exposed them to the outside world for potential future placements and considerations.

The Executive Manager, Mr Maxegwana, from the Community Development & Research Programme of the Department of Social Development, Eastern Cape, was invited to deliver the keynote address at the Certificate Ceremony.

The two pilot phases of the Programme in Household Food Security have been successfully concluded and special thanks are conveyed to the Executive Dean of CAES, Prof Maggie Linington for her determined leadership. The delivery of the programme would not have been possible without the regional based support to the Regional Coordinator of the PHFS in CAES, including publicity, from Mr Motale Nkgoang as the Manager of the Eastern Cape Region.  The formal partnership for design development and implementation with the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) under Mrs Jennie Glennie and project Leader Dr Alice Barlow –Zambodla are also acknowledged. The entire HFS under Mrs Fransa Ferreira have made the programme one of the most considered programmes when fundamental community development aspects are to be realised.

From left: Mr V Mququ, Mr Somhlahlo, Mrs K.A Kikine, Ms Ellen Mokoena, Mrs Liphapang, Ms Poppie Khoza(CAES), Mr L Ndlovu, Ms N Sopodi and Ms NK Mkhathsane

Corporate Communication and Marketing (CC&M) and the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) in partnership with the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform visited nine schools from six local areas namely; Lusikisiki, Ntabankulu, Mt Frere, Mt Fletcher, Lady Frere and Motherwell. These are adopted schools in the programme of the MEC of the Department. The school visits took place from 21 to 25 May 2012.

The primary objective of the visits was to expose learners from adopted schools to the qualifications offered in the areas of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform is making an effort to attract learners to study in the field of Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences because they have been identified as scarce skills in that area.

Learners had an opportunity to ask questions about Unisa as an ODL institution, student funding and admission requirements. 

The visits were well planned and well coordinated. Each school was assigned to a senior official from the Department.

The main purpose of the project is to assist educators with their teaching skills, and empower them, especially in the fields of science.

In addition, the Department advises the educators on how to set up short experiments in practical learning areas. The main learning areas identified were Mathematics, Mathematics Literacy, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, English and Tourism.  Each Unisa staff member is assigned an educator to assist throughout the academic year.

On 4 May 2012, the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, together with other higher learning institutions, participated at an open day at Diepsloot Combined Full Service School.

The information sessions were organised to encourage matric learners to register for programmes in Life and Consumer Sciences, Agriculture and Animal Health, Geography, and Hospitality Management.

The programme was designed so that the Grades 10 and 11learners were challenged to broaden their nutritional knowledge in order to present a poster presentation to their fellow learners, educators, Unisa lecturers, the visiting officials and dignitaries.  The students had prior notice and had ample time to research the theme using the internet, books, magazines and speaking  to subject specialists such as the educators and Unisa researchers.  The learners were very creative and succeeded to promote a healthy lifestyle  and living that contributes to longevity.  Their posters and presentations were judged by a panel of Unisa lecturers from the department together with some of the educators from Diepsloot Combined Full Service School.

Diepsloot Combined Full Service School accentuate their appreciation of Unisa’s involvement with the school and is looking forward to an even superior upcoming partnership.  Furthermore, several speeches were given in order to encourage good health practices.  Individuals such as Mr. M Ledwaba from the GDE,  Mrs. B. Motubatse from the Student Government Body Representative (SGB); the School Director (Unisa) Prof. Modise; and the Principal of Diepsloot Combined Full Service School, Mr. N. Maringa together with the Deputy Principal gave their word of motivation.

Prof. SR Magano (CoD, Life and Consumer Sciences), took a step back into the good old days, encouraging students to give attention to the decisions they make in their lives and emphasizing the importance of education.  Winning groups and participants were awarded.

The Department of Life and Consumer Sciences would like to thank our sponsor, Whitehead Scientific Pty (Ltd) for their contribution.

CAES staff members show off their bare feet in support of the One Day Without Shoes initiative

One Day Without Shoes is a day on which people spread awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life by taking off their own. Why? Millions of children live without proper footwear, exposing them to injury and disease every day.

“Research shows that children wearing shoes are better educated and in some countries it is compulsory to wear shoes to go to school. In Kenya 1.89 million children have ‘jiggers’, a burrowing flea that infects bare feet.

There are many stories… A rural women told the story of how her two sons would go to school on alternate weeks as they had to share a pair of shoes, until they were given another pair.” http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com

The Executive Dean of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science (CAES), Prof Maggi Linington challenged CAES staff to spend a day at work without shoes on 10 April 2012. She also collected shoes from staff to be donated to the One Day Without Shoes Organisation. This year the shoes will be donated to children in Kenya.

Information sourced from the One Day Without Shoes website: http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com

Prof Setati signs the Memorandum of Agreement between CAES and the Balule Game Reserve

The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and Balule Game Reserve in Hoedspruit signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on 23 February 2012 at the Ezulweni Lodge, Balule Game Reserve.

This MoA seeks to advance collaborative research in the field of nature conservation. The Applied Behavioural Ecology & Ecosystem Research Unit (ABEERU) in the Department of Environmental Sciences has set up a research site at Balule Nature Reserve where it is envisaged that research on various aspects of the natural environment will be conducted. The manager of the reserve expressed interest in Unisa becoming more involved with research which will be in collaboration with Western Kentucky University (USA).

The university benefits through this by providing various research options to its students and the opportunity to conduct research with international students. The signing of this MoA confirms the commitment of Unisa to contribute to research and the advancement of knowledge in the field of natural sciences. It is hoped that many similar research projects will emanate from this collaboration.

Unisa’s Vice Principal: Research and Innovation, Prof Mamokgethi Setati signed the MoA on behalf of the university. The Unisa team also visited the new research site house where students doing research are accommodated.

Robert Breebaart receiving his ICA certificate, with members of the Department of Geography, his parents, his art teacher and the Headmaster of Wierdapark Laerskool

On 8 July 2011, Robert Breebaart, an 11-year old school boy from Wierdapark Primary School in Centurion, Pretoria, made history when he was awarded a First Prize in Paris, France, for his entry in the ICA’s 2011 Petchenik World Map Competition for Children.

This year the Petchenik Map Competition for Children this year took place from 3-8 July 2011, during the 25thCartographic Conference of the ICA (International Cartographic Association) in Paris, France. Held bi-annually, this competition was instigated by the ICA in 1992 in memory of Dr Barbara Bartz Petchenik, an eminent US cartographer who died in 1992 whilst she was an ICA Vice-President. During her lifetime, Dr Petchenik made an enormous contribution to cartography and was a tireless advocate for the increased use and understanding of maps and spatial data by all peoples.

The Petchenik Competition is open to children from ICA member nations and requires a child to submit a map-like drawing of A3-size depicting a specific theme. This year’s theme was “Living in a Global World”. The aims of the competition are to promote children’s creative representation of the world, to enhance their cartographic awareness, and to make them more conscious of their environment. Participating member countries appoint a National Coordinator who collects the entries out of three age groups, namely children under 9 years; 9-12 years, and 12-15 years. The thousands of entries which are received are judged by an international panel which awards a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in each age group.

Since 2008, participation in the Petchenik Competition has been organized and coordinated by the Department of Geography at Unisa (University of South Africa) in Pretoria. Until 2000 this Department was headed by Prof Elri Liebenberg who is the national coordinator of the Competition. The current Chair of Department, Melanie Nicolau, is an ardent map enthusiast and encourages map-use in all the department’s courses.

Children My Home (Bojanala District) receiving art material from the Department of Geography and the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation (GRCF)

Since January 2008 Unisa has been doing its utmost to encourage children under the age of 15 years, and from all population groups and cultural backgrounds, to participate in the Competition. Schools were visited throughout the country to liaise with teachers and children and to explain the competition theme. National prizes such as Laptops, MP3 players, mini-globes, atlases and books on the environment were also made available, and groups of children were invited on a regular basis to visit the Department where they were given the time and opportunity to draw a map. During these visits, all equipment (paper, paint, crayons, etc.) were provided. Each child was also interviewed by the Chair of Department, Melanie Nicolau, who filled in a basic questionnaire on the child’s map literacy skills and his/her understanding of the global world he/she lives in.

For the 2011 competition, Unisa’s Department of Geography organized two regional competitions, one in the Northwest Province and one in Gauteng. The competition in the Northwest Province was coordinated by the Greater Rustenburg Community Foundation (GRCF), and entries were received from a number of schools in the rural areas.  The maps received for the North West Province were exhibited at the Waterfall Mall in Rustenburg, and were judged by the local communities, including a local artist from Ledig. The regional competition in Gauteng was judged by Geographers in the Department of Geography, and were exhibited  Entries were also received from the other provinces, and in May 2011 the competition entered its final round with an exhibition of selected drawings on show at Unisa’s main campus in Muckleneuk, Pretoria. Almost 6 000 entries were submitted and a panel of judges was appointed to undertake the formidable task of selecting the nine best entries (three per age group) to be sent to Paris. The nine national winners all received prizes sponsored by Unisa.

The announcement of the overall winner in the age group 9 to 12 years, at 25thCartographic Conference of the ICA (International Cartographic Association) in Paris, France

Although South Africa has participated in the Petchenik Competition since 1995, the country has never produced an overall winner in any one of the age-groups. On 8 July 2011 Robert Breebaart broke this winning drought when he was awarded First Prize in the 9-12 age group for his striking drawing of a human heart entitled “Global Heartbeat”.  The Department of Geography visited the school on 11 November 2011 to congratulate Robert for his achievement and to present him with his prize and certificate from the ICA.

The participation in the international map competition of this nature, provides crucial information regarding out communities, by collecting information from the children’s drawings, we are able to assess how children position themselves in the world, and how they perceive the world around them.  The competition also provides the opportunity to assess the younger generations’ responsibility and awareness towards the environment, which is crucial, within the contemporary drive to sustainable living and futures.  With this in mind the Department of Geography will be organizing the competition again in 2013, and will start approaching schools as early as the beginning of 2012.

One small step at a time, the College aimed to make this world a better place starting with Nkone Moruping.

For 67 minutes, a dedicated team pulled together and made a difference through the following activities:

• The Executive Dean’s office painted an HIV/AIDS emblem on one of the school walls to raise awareness on the pandemic;
• Department of Environmental Sciences prepared flower beds, plants  and created rockeries;
• Department of Life and Consumer Sciences assisted the school feeding scheme by handing out fruits, in addition to advice on hygiene and food choices;
• Department of Geography designed the HIV/AIDS emblem
• Department of Agriculture prepared food gardens and handed out seeds.

Poppie Khoza; Anna De Jager; Prof Linington; Ina Viviers and Marianne Coetzee	The team that painted the wall: Anna De Jager; Prof Maggi Linington; Marianne Botha; Marjanne Coetzee
Dr Prudence Kayoka preparing the food garden	Leslie Adriaanse busy putting mulch on the rockery
Treasure Mokhobotloane and Motlhalifi Mogashoa preparing the furrows before planting	Lynette Albrecht handing out fruits to learners
Dr Mondi Nyila; Elize Symington; Prof Solly Magano preparing fruits before giving to learners	The Executive Dean Prof Maggi Linington handing a poster message to the school principal, Adelaide Mathibela

Grade 9, 10 and 11 learners who obtained the 1st Prize award in the poster presentation. Together with) Mr D Matsebatlela (DoE District Director, front extreme left), Prof Z Dlamini (Deputy Executive Dean CAES, front extreme right), Prof MJ Linington (Executive Dean, CAES), Dr TS Van Eeden (COD Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, Back extreme right), Prof SR Magano (Project Leader, next to Dr van Eeden)

CAES staff members showing the wet wipes and pamphlets which were distributed to the Diepsloot community.

The Department of Life and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences celebrated the World Health Day with Diepsloot Combined School on the 20^th April 2011. Although the World Health Day is annually celebrated  on the 7^th April, this date coincided with the school holidays and hence necessitated deferment to the 20^th of April. The 2011 theme for the World Health Day as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) was “Antimicrobial resistance: no action no cure tomorrow”. Through this theme, the WHO’s goal is to create an awareness about the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and its global spread to the effectiveness of many medicines used today as remedies against major infectious disease-causing agents such as bacteria and viruses and consequently launch campaigns to safeguard such medicines for future generations.

The celebration was held in the premises of Diepsloot Combined School and was graced by the presence of a delegation from the Department of Education (DoE) including the District Director Mr  David Matsebatlela and the executive management of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (Unisa) including Dr TS Van Eeden (COD, Life and Consumer Sciences), Prof Z Dlamini (Deputy Executive Dean, CAES) and Prof MJ Linington (Executive Dean: CAES).

Although the event was primarily focused on promoting good health practices, Prof SR Magano (Project Leader), emphasized that the event must be viewed as part of a broader Community Engagement (CE) partnership which the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences (Unisa) is having with Diepsloot Combined School. The overall goal of this CE partnership is to allow sharing and transfer of skills and knowledge in a mentor/mentee type of relationship, leading towards improved output.

The highlight for the day was the poster presentations by grade 9, 10 and 11 learners. The posters were on the following aspects of the theme:  Microorganisms and their effects on our daily life, importance of nutrition, drug resistant microbes/super-bugs causes and effects and world deadly epidermics: preventive and treatment measures. A total of 252 learners participated in this task. Posters were evaluated by a panel of judges constituted by Unisa lecturers (Dr SL Lebelo, Dr MA Nyila, Ms K Pandarum, Mr JJ Sibanyoni, Ms TL Makhobotloane, Ms P Khoza, Dr S Mahlo) and Diepsloot Combined School educators (Mr MJ Munakisi, Ms N Magwaxaza, Ms MD Mahome, Mr V Netshilonwe). Learners in groups which presented the best posters in each grade, were awarded scientific calculators by the executive dean of CAES, Prof MJ Linington.  The deputy executive dean of CAES Prof Z Dlamini handed a Unisa blanket to the principal of Diepsloot Combined School, Mrs V Kgabo as a token of appreciation for good leadership.

Learners making a poster presentation.

The key-note address for the day was given by CAES executive dean, Prof MJ Linington who emphasized the importance of maintaining good health practices and also congratulated learners for working tirelessly, even during the school holidays, to develop the posters which were presented during the event.

In an effort to extend the message beyond the school yard, approximately 3000 wet-wipes and pamphlets containing information on good health practices, were distributed in the neighbourhood of the school by both learners and members of the Department of Life and Consumer Sciences.

The DoE District Director, Mr D Matsebatlela appreciated and thanked Unisa for the Community Engagement partnership it has with Diepsloot Combined School and expressed a wish that such initiatives could be extended to other schools.