Students from Belgium and South Africa will come together in Stellenbosch from 25 October to 1 November for Beyond Borders 2026, an IMM Graduate School short academic programme combining international learning, cultural exchange and an applied community project.
Nine visiting students from UCLL University of Applied Sciences in Belgium joined local IMM Graduate School participants for a week designed to connect academic knowledge with practical experience in a South African context.
A central component of the programme is a fundraising case study supporting the Carmen Stevens Foundation’s food hamper initiative. The Foundation’s food programme began in 2011 in response to hunger among learners in disadvantaged communities.
For children who rely on school feeding, the day schools close is the day the meals stop. The Foundation plans 3,000 family food hampers for the December holidays, and 2,000 are funded.
That leaves a shortfall of R550,000.00 needed by 31 October so the Foundation can buy stock ahead of its packing day on 28 November. Each hamper costs R550 and gives a family of four to five partial food support for about two weeks.
“For children who rely on school meals, the holidays are the hard part,” says Carmen Stevens, Founder at the Carmen Stevens Foundation. “A hamper will not end hunger, but it gets a family through part of the holiday.”
Homework with consequences
Students will apply their marketing, communication and project management knowledge to approaching potential donors and developing support for the initiative.
The brief goes further than presenting a fundraising idea. Students will document donor engagement, separate confirmed donations from pledges and pending discussions, and draw up a follow-up plan with clear responsibilities and next steps.
This approach encourages accountability and gives students experience in managing relationships and reporting on progress.
“Students have to report what is confirmed and what is only a promise,” says Anisa Fielding, Marketing Manager, IMM Graduate School. “That is how the job works, and here they do it with real donors and a real deadline.”
Participants also work in mixed Belgian and South African teams and look at how local circumstances shape marketing and business decisions. The week combines academic sessions, collaborative project work and time to explore Stellenbosch.
“Our students see how marketing decisions change in a different market, and they take that home with them,” says Ana dePlus, Programme Coordinator at UCLL.
Your move
Businesses and individuals who want to support the food hamper initiative can contact Deidré Vermeulen on npo@cswines.co.za or 0795262887. R550 puts one hamper in one home for the holidays.
Any in-kind contributions must be coordinated directly with the Carmen Stevens Foundation, which manages supplier arrangements and purchasing to secure the best available value.
Donors who want to contribute a specific product can arrange a supplier invoice made out directly to them, at the price the Foundation has negotiated.