2023
MOSES MABIDA

We raised funds to install a solar-powered, eco-friendly water system at Moses Mabida Senior Secondary School. In June 2023, we dug a borehole to bring water up from 100 meters below the Earth’s surface. When we tested that water, we decided a) to channel it only to the rest rooms and b) to augment the system by harvesting more water off a majority of the school’s roofs. That collection will undergo an intense system of filtration and purification and be directed to water fountains, the kitchen, wash basins, and the science lab. With all our projects, we install and/or upgrade security measures to protect our funders' investments. As much as this is about clean water, it is also about wellness and dignity.

2014
VUSUMZI

Early in our association with Vusumzi Primary School, we learned how rampant the water crisis was in schools across the region. Unfettered access to clean water existed neither at Vusumzi nor at any subsequent schools with which we partnered. Thanks to the efforts of All Sales Are Vinyl (more details on this page) and literally hundreds of generous flower-purchasers, in 2014 we installed our first eco-friendly clean water system that filters, purifies, and disperses clean water all around the campus. Amazingly, since our intervention, Vusumzi has not canceled one day of school due to water issues! Also noteworthy? Vusumzi has done a superb job of maintaining and upgrading the system when required.

2022
ST. IGNATIUS

The situation at St. Ignatius Primary School was a full-on crisis when we first met. The septic system was in a complete state of disrepair, with waste spilling over onto the children’s play areas and into the classrooms. In addition, the rainwater harvested off the roofs was neither filtered nor purified before being sent to tanks for storage and then to water fountains, the school kitchen, and rest rooms. The school now enjoys clean water, water-saving toilet mechanisms, new fountains, and a fixed septic system that is pumped out quarterly instead of bi-weekly. The greatest endorsement came from a child. “Thank you, Universal Promise. I am happy that our school doesn’t smell anymore.”

#401GIVES +
UNITED NATIONS

Clean Water & Sanitation is one of the United Nations 17 Sustainability Goals. During the 2023 401Gives, an April 1st RI statewide day-of-giving, we raised $12,000 to bring clean water to more schools in Sundays River Valley. Each year, our 401Gives focus changes, depending on the needs of our partner-schools. In 2024, for instance, we raised nearly $24,000 to upgrade a primary school’s sports facilities. Whatever the year, the mission is the same: to enhance’s children’s academic opportunities, wellness, and awareness that they deserve more. To join the next 401Gives team of like-minded souls who want to do something to help children, no matter where they live, click here to learn more. Thank you.

2020
SAMKELWE

In 2008, when UP founder Martha T. Cummings first visited Samkelwe Senior Secondary School, the school rest rooms were broken, unhygienic, and offensive. Conditions had only worsened by 2019, when we partnered with Samkelwe. A first order-of-business was to renovate the bathrooms: essentially infested indoor-outhouses. We transformed the educator and student bathrooms, eliminated water leakages, and brought hot water to the kitchen. Again, the greatest endorsement came from a young woman who approached us to say, “I got a disease from those old toilets, was hospitalized, and could not attend school for months. Thank you for making sure others won’t suffer as I did.”

ALL SALES
ARE VINYL

After volunteering with UP in South Africa and observing the absence of clean water, Cindy and Brian Neprash decided to do something about that crisis; so, they began to create and sell one-of-a-kind, oversized flowers and wall-hangings made from recycled vinyl records. Then they donate a substantial portion of their profits to fund green systems that collect, filter, purify, and disperse rainwater for drinking, cooking, hygiene, plumbing, and more. Since 2014, hundreds of empathetic donors have purchased flowers and brought clean water to roughly 10,000 children, ensuring that others enjoy what many take for granted. Here’s to the power of partnership and clean water for all! Click here to learn more.