2008
UP Founder Martha T. Cummings made her first trip to South Africa in November 2008, and she asked to visit Nomathamsanqa Location, the Xhosa township near her guest lodge. After witnessing the widespread inequities in the local schools - the lingering impact of the apartheid regime - Cummings began to consider how to transform and uplift the academic opportunities for the Xhosa and other people of color in the region.

Pictured is the facility that haunted Cummings during her first visit to Nomathamsanqa: the Vusumzi Primary School original “Academic Centre,” a woefully unacceptable structure by any standard for any child.

While this building was what drew Cummings to do more, once she immersed herself in the culture, she grew increasingly aware that the old building was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. True transformation would take a lot more.

Thanks to Universal Promise and hundreds of generous donors who are invested in global citizenry, that original structure is now history, Please check out the new facility UP funded in 2018: today a major beacon-of-hope for the community and proof that change is possible. Enrollment at the school has doubled. Grade 7 pass rates have improved from 54% to 99%. The students’ mastery of the home language, isiXhosa, has increased dramatically, from 36% to 96%. Computer literacy moved from 0% to 100%.

The best news? Vusumzi Primary School is now highly respected in the region and operating fully independently from Universal Promise. That is Cummings’s ultimate dream: “Our obsolescence is our goal. We define success by a school’s ability to thrive long after we’re gone.”

Kudos to Vusumzi Primary School for stepping up to this amazing challenge, to the Universal Promise Top 10 Wish List model, which puts the decision-making in the hands of those who know best, to the guardians and educators who do all they can to underscore the eternal power of education, to the students - who never gave up hope despite so many forces against them, and to the residents of the communities we serve for giving us a chance to prove that not all promises are empty and that together, yes, together, we go far.

2010
Cummings made her second trip to South Africa. The worsening conditions and the absence of other nonprofits addressing the needs affirmed her decision to take action.

2011
+ Universal Promise was founded with a singular focus on education
+ Education Sponsorship program began
+ Top 10 Wish List signature protocol was born: security systems permanently placed at #1 spot
+ Vusumzi Primary School (VPS) added as first partner-school

2012
+ permaculture garden planted at Langbos Creche & Care Center (LCCC)
+ funding of breakfast program at LCCC
+ wind turbine installed at LCCC to provide electricity

2013
+ first security measures installed at VPS
+ perimeter fencing, security gate, live monitoring sensors, and cameras installed at VPS
+ pavers installed at VPS to prevent cancellation on rainy days
+ renovation of 20 classrooms at VPS
+ renovation of two classrooms and offices at LCCC

2014
+ women’s beading initiative launched
+ classroom renovations continue at VPS and LCCC
+ 20 tablets delivered to LCCC for early technology introduction
+ clean water system installed at VPS

2015
+ first volunteer trip
+ computer lab (31 stations) installed at VPS
+ provision of all-school curricular software for Grades K - 7
+ playground installed at VPS

2016
+ extensive renovations of VPS restrooms
+ major renovation of Addo Clinic, which serves at least 25,000 patients
+ first medical volunteer trip launched
+ delivery of scores of medical instruments and supplies to Addo Clinic

2017
+ kitchen renovation at VPS, with subsequent funding of hot water
+ drafted and funded the reproduction of thousands of medical pamphlets to disseminate to local clinics and schools

2018
+ completed the state-of-the-art Academic Centre at VPS to replace the apartheid-era structure that led to the founding of UP
+ construction of new library, science lab, dance & music studio, arts studio, all-school assembly area at VPS
+ coding & robotics workshops at VPS

2019
+ Samkelwe Senior Secondary School (SSSS) added as new partner-school

2020
+ first security measures installed at SSSS
+ extensive renovations of SSSS restrooms, which had been broken for over a decade
+ computer lab (33 stations) installed at SSSS
+ COVID masks for women’s empowerment initiative in Cape Town and St. Ignatius Primary School (SIPS) students

2021
+ SIPS added as new partner-school
+ first security measures installed at SIPS
+ perimeter fencing and security gate installed at SIPS
+ playground installed at SIPS
+ renovation of 20 classrooms at SSSS

2022
+ Moses Mabida Senior Secondary School (MMSSS) added as new partner-school
+ Art Studio constructed at SIPS
+ first solar lanterns delivered to children at multiple schools
+ thousands of study-camp meals for Grade 12 MMSSS students
+ breakfast all year long for all 450 SIPS students
+ founding, registration, and construction of farm to raise funds to fund the SIPS breakfast program into the future
+ entire renovation of the broken septic system at SIPS
+ cots for kindergarteners at SIPS
+ heaters for SIPS classrooms
+ arts workshops and wellness/yoga workshops conducted at three partner-schools
+ 100 new uniforms for SIPS students

2023
+ Purnell School Alumnae Legacy fund partnership formed to fund school uniforms at Sandisulwazi High School (SHS)
+ continued provision of school uniforms at MMSSS, SIPS, SSSS, and VPS
+ second set of solar lanterns delivered to children at multiple schools
+ South Africa & USA penpal program launched at SIPS
+ new clean water system at SIPS
+ new clean water system at MMSSS
+ extension of the computer lab at MMSSS
+ funding of CAMI curricular at SSSS
+ funding of a farm whose profits will provide breakfast for SIPS students
+ quotations for security system and clean water system at SHS
+ Top 10 Wish List signature protocol was amended: clean water systems permanently placed at #2 spot