Facts matter.

SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2011, we have funded scores of projects at seven schools (uplifting over 150 educators and 15,000 students) and four medical clinics (affecting 25,000 more through our major renovation and distribution of hundreds of medical instruments and pamphlets). We’ve honored roughly 100 Top 10 Wishes at local schools: anything from computer labs, clean water systems, and playgrounds to classroom and sports upgrades, a library, a science lab, and a wellness studio. We’ve delivered thousands of school uniforms and academic supplies, study guides and textbooks, a permaculture garden, school-wide breakfast, a wind turbine, classroom heaters, tablets & calculators, coding & robotics classes, solar lanterns, art studios and classes, athletic equipment, entrepreneurship programs, professional development, and university support. We have also hired scores of Xhosa business owners to complete the work.

So, what difference has this all made? That is what we’re here to answer.

QUANTITATIVE FEEDBACK

School #1 Grades K - 7 School
Students in School Uniforms from 25% (2011) to 100% (2022)
Enrollment from 555 (2011) to 850 (2023)
Female Enrollment from 278 (2011) to 390 (2022)
Male Enrollment from 277 (2011) to 403 (2022)
Mastery of English from 42% (2011) to 85% (2022)
Mastery of mathematics from 57% (2011) to 80% (2022)
Mastery of isiXhosa from 36% (2011) to 96% (2022)
Computer Literacy from 0% (2011) to 100% (2022)
Grade 7 to High School Pass Rate from 54% (2011) to 99% (2022)

School #2 Grades 8 - 12 School
Students in School Uniforms from 94% (2020) to 98% (2023)
Enrollment from 751 (2020) to 948 (2023)
Female Enrollment from 317 (2020) to 499 (2023)
Male Enrollment from 434 (2020) to 449 (2023)
Mastery of English from 45% (2020) to 52% (2022)
Mastery of mathematics from 30% (2020) to 37% (2022)
Mastery of isiXhosa from 100% (2020) to 100% (2022)
Computer Literacy from 0% (2019) to 100% (2023)
Grade 12 Pass Rate from 50% (2020) to 73.7% (2022)

School #3 Grades K - 7 School
Students in School Uniforms from 75% (2021) to 100% (2023)
Enrollment from 423 (2021) to 510 (2023)
Female Enrollment from 199 (2021) to 219 (2022)
Male Enrollment from 224 (2021) to 235 (2022)
Grade 7 to High School Pass Rate from 100% (2021) to 100% (2022)

School #4 Grades 8 - 12 School
Students in School Uniforms from 20% (2020) to 100% (2023)
Enrollment from 626 (2021) to 800 (2023)
Female Enrollment from 335 (2021) to 390 (2023)
Male Enrollment from 291 (2021) to 410 (2023)
Mastery of English from 60% (2020) to 70% (2022)
Mastery of isiXhosa from 100% (2020) to 98% (2021)
Computer Literacy from 10% (2021) to 25% (2023)
Note: The computer lab was expanded in 2023, so more statistics will follow in 2024.
Grade 12 Pass Rate from 50% (2020) to 73.7% (2022)

Clean Water Systems
Coming soon

Matriculation after High School
Coming soon

Facts don’t measure everything, though.

QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK

PRINCIPAL MZIMKULU NDUNA
Universal Promise from the onset realized that our community is in dire need of help given the socioeconomic conditions, and they saw this as an opportunity to improve the lives of the learners of this particular community through various engagements in education. We wish to thank them once more for their tireless efforts in ensuring that our school become a better school for us teachers and learners. I also wish to say that, as the community, talking about the teachers, the learners, and the community-at-large, that we are so much proud with the engagement and the partnership we have formed with Universal Promise. Everybody in Addo, the Addo community, is proud of Universal Promise, because deep down in their hearts is the interest of the Black child. We hope Universal Promise will keep on, so we are able to produce leaders, managers, doctors, lawyers, mechanical engineers, and electrical engineers to ensure that our dream is being realized.

PRINCIPAL NOMALIZO JOHNSON
I got involved with Universal Promise because I saw the upgrading at Vusumzi Primary School, one of the schools here in Addo, and I was interested. I reached out to Universal Promise because we had a lot of challenges at my school. [As part of its Top 10 Wish List protocol,] Universal Promise asked me to convene meetings with the stakeholders to discuss a partnership and to submit their top wishes to improve our school. Thereafter we prioritized and came up with the final list. Universal Promise has funded breakfast for learners, a Grade R playground, security, an arts studio, a clean water system, new toilets, a new septic system, school uniforms, renovated classrooms, and more. Sometimes words are not enough to share the deeper sense of appreciation I feel from the bottom of my heart. Ever since we partnered with Universal Promise, it has been a blessing to the parents, to the educators, to the students, and to the community-at-large. Things are now happening here, and the young learners are in an environment that is healthy and suitable for them. I am speechless. I don’t know how to express my feelings. The enjoyment here has increased a lot. The learners are happy, everybody is happy, the parents are happy. Thank you so much.

PRINCIPAL ZUKILE MARWAYI
For us to address these problems of poverty through education, it became clear that nobody was willing to assist us until we met Universal Promise. I was attracted by the name itself. Promise. I have seen what they have done in other schools. Before I even worked with them, I knew that they would do what they have promised. That is why I don’t call them Universal Promise. I call them Sacred Promise, because I know they will deliver what they promise. If you are not equal to the task of Universal Promise, you will never be able to achieve what you want to achieve. Of course there are demands. They demand perfection. If you do it, you must do it right. But they also take you through the process, tell you the steps. They are so patient. So as you enter into this partnership, you know exactly what is expected from you. I have learned a lot from Universal Promise.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL NDUMISO TUTANI
I like Universal Promise because they believe in transparency and accountability. Another thing I like about Universal Promise is that they do not impose on us. They do not use the top-down approach where they will dictate to us what to do. Instead they use a bottom-UP approach; they ask us, and then we agree, and then we implement.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL NOBATHEMBU LOLWANA
We choose to work with Universal Promise because it is the best NGO we’ve ever seen. The other NGOs worked with us for a year and left, but Universal Promise has stayed with us. They have not forgotten us. They know us. Universal Promise funded fencing, security, and a computer lab, which has made us all computer literate. As educators, we were scared to touch the computers, but Universal Promise taught us how to use them. Our classrooms were also very dirty and unhealthy before Universal Promise came. Some of our learners had chest problems. UP renovated our classrooms, so now they are clean, and the chest problems have gone away. Now we have a Grade R playground so our youngest students may play in peace. Also, we have clean water and water tanks. The whole community used to lack water. There was scarcity of water in the community, but not Vusumzi. Because of Universal Promise, we have a clean water system and water tanks that transfer water to our water taps and ablutions facilities. Now we finally have flushing toilets, and so many health concerns have disappeared.