For Apply Pay, Paypal, or Credit Card, click here to give. For Venmo, click the charities filter at the top to donate to @uniprom.

As of October 21st, family and friends have raised $960 of the $2,500 needed!

Second Project, a Four-room Home, Plot of Land, and Peace-of-mind for $3,950!

Yes, you heard that right, but first meet Amahle, the child on the far-right wearing the funky South African hat. Amahle is the penpal of Dottie Burnley, pictured on the left, and the sister of Lindokuhle, suspended in mid-air. Dottie and her parents, Anna and Tyler Burnley, volunteered with us in South Africa in February, when Dottie had the chance to meet Amahle, a friend she came to know through the Universal Promise/Gaudet Middle School penpal program. So, that alone is pretty cool.

While we were volunteering in February, we learned that Granny (pictured on the banner with Anna and Tyler) and her grandchildren were going to be evicted from their home before the end of 2024. Granny was no longer able to work on the farm where they lived, and the owner said he must replace her with someone who could.

In early July, we were informed that Granny had found a lovely plot-of-land closer to Amahle’s school, as well as a contractor, who sent us a four-room-house floor plan, a materials list, and his labor fees. The total? Three thousand, nine hundred, fifty dollars. Yes, $3,950 for all that.

We reached out to the Burnleys, who had expressed interest in helping, and they were all in. Given, however, that we always embrace a hand-UP vs. a hand-out mentality, Granny, Amahle, Lindokuhle, and friends must play a role in this process. As such, they have already cleared the land of brush and trash and erected a fence to make a contribution and claim the land. Then we come in. Toward that end, we invite you to give whatever you can using the Apple Pay, PayPal, and Venmo links and info above.

First Project, Classroom Upgrades

When we asked Dottie which of our South African schools’ Top 10 Wishes she would like to raise funds for and help complete while volunteering in South Africa in February 2024, she chose Classroom Renovations. When we asked why, she said, “I think that will do the most good for the most kids.” That impressed us but did not surprise us. While Dottie has never been to South Africa, she knows some things. Her mother Anna traveled to South Africa with us in 2013 and was gifted a poignant reminder of the chasm-of-opportunity between her own one-year-old child and the weeks-old infant she held. The girls were one year apart in age but infinite miles apart in hope: a privilege rooted in chance.

We were touched and grateful that Anna returned to South Africa with us, this time with her husband Tyler and Dottie, then 12. As volunteers, the family shared their entrepreneurship, nutrition, wellness, and construction talents, and worked with students in English, art, dance, and penpal updates. They also ate at the home of a Xhosa chef and got some dance lessons from the chef’s young relatives.

Best of all, perhaps, is that central to their experience was the fulfillment of one of our partner-schools’ Top Ten Wishes: which was a perfect way to make a mark that is both inclusive and sustainable. Universal Promise prides itself on the fact that locals guide our efforts, as they should. That’s how Dottie came to choose classroom renovations. It was a wish of those we serve.

Before, during, and after the February volunteerism, we repaired and painted classroom walls and ceilings, installed electricity, whiteboards and bulletin boards, replaced broken windows, and purchased academic posters for a primary school (K-7) of 550 children in rural South Africa. The transformations now reflect more sacred and dignified places-of-learning. Morale is UP, attendance is UP, behavior is improved, and children and educators more fully understand that Americans 8,000 miles away wanted them to know they deserved better. In short, it’s all good.

So, today’s mantra? Make a difference every day forever. That is Ubuntu at its best.

CLASSROOM UPGRADES

Ainsley Perry
Alana A. Silva
Alexa Boone
Amy and Tom Jenkins
Andrea Jenkins
Andrew Paris
Anne Jenkins
Anne & Chris Loftus
Brianna Ferrara
Carol Perry
Christen Meyers
Clare Kirwin
Claudia Rotondo
Corinne Beaudoin
Courtney Cunningham
Debbie Amarant
Don and Helene O’Neill
Dottie Berube
Hagan Family
Heather Julian Llanos
Jacquelene Henderson
Jodi Paquin
Julia and Pearl Hoffer
Kajsa Kempenaar
Karen Jenkins
Lynda Paylan
Maggie Stark
Malinda Roderick
Marisa Livesay
Martha T. Cummings
Mary Hayes
Meghan Spooner
Michaela Cochran
Michele Jemo
Miscellaneous Donors
Mist Fitness Studio Workout
Nicole Mondoor
Sarah Shoen
Shore Creative, LLC
Stacey Hughes
Tim Straus
William Foster
William Zachary

AMAHLE’S NEW HOME

Coming Shortly