The 2021 ACE in Place South Africa team will be working with SA Harvest this summer. SA Harvest is an NGO working to give every South African access to nutritious diets through food rescue and distribution.
Our team will be assisting SA Harvest in 3 key areas:
- We will be researching and providing data on the nutrition and diets of adolescents in South Africa.
- We will be researching and providing SA Harvest with information on access to food in economically disadvantaged areas and determining what nutrients are needed to improve local diets.
- Our team will provide research on ways to provide information to community members on the challenges around food waste and the importance of nutrition.
During this first week, we have learned more about South Africa and SA Harvest, discussed how to tackle the tasks at hand, and even got to participate in a Zulu cultural and language class.
Meet the Team
Carly King
I am a junior on the Duke Women’s Track and Field team. I am majoring in biology and minoring in global health. I am participating in ACE in Place from Davenport, Iowa. I am excited to participate in ACE South Africa this summer because the work we are doing with SA Harvest is going to save lives. So far it has been really awesome learning about the host country and speaking with Ali , our community partner supervisor, from SA Harvest.
Suhas Chundi
I am a sophomore on the Stanford Wrestling team. I have no idea what I’ll major in, but I really like Computer Science and Math. Working with SA Harvest has been exciting because of their creativity and innovation. I’m participating in ACE from Palo Alto, CA. I look forward to learning more about South Africa and contributing to SA harvest’s mission.
Deja Davis
I am a rising senior on the Duke Softball team where I am majoring in Environmental Science and Policy and Sociology. I will be participating from Cerritos, California for the first two weeks of the ACE program and then logging in from Durham, North Carolina for the last week. I’ve been a part of the ACE community for over a year now and was excited for the opportunity to participate in a virtual experience where I could learn about other cultures and build relationships while also having a true impact. Through this first week of learning more about and working with SA Harvest I can tell that this project will have the impact I was seeking with ACE. I am excited to see where it goes.
Zach Wassmer
I am a sophomore on the Duke Men’s Swim Team studying Economics and Math. This summer, I’m participating in ACE from my home in Richmond, Virginia. Coming into ACE, I was excited to meet other student-athletes and to get involved in South Africa –through the first week of the program, these points of excitement have become the highlights of my experience. As we continue our work, I look forward to learning more about my ACE teammates, experiencing South African culture, and making an impact with SA Harvest.
Devin Connell
I am a rising senior on the Duke Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams studying Public Policy. I am participating in ACE from my hometown of Andover, Massachusetts. I am excited to work with SA Harvest and learn more about South African culture. The work SA Harvest does is tremendous, and I am looking forward to helping them in the coming weeks.
Natalie Maurer
I am a junior on the Duke Women’s Soccer Team, majoring in Cinematic Arts, Markets and Management, and minoring in Psychology. I am participating in ACE from my hometown of Richmond, VA. I was super excited to be immersed in the South African culture and meet my other teammates. So far, I have really enjoyed learning about the history of South Africa along with their customs and traditions. I am really looking forward to working hands-on with SA Harvest to make an impact on the South African community.
Faith Zehfuss
I am a sophomore on the Stanford Lightweight Rowing team. I intend on majoring in International Relations with a minor in Chinese Language. I am participating from Palo Alto, California. I am so excited to learn about South African history and culture. I want to learn more about ethical international service and design creative solutions for problems like food instability.