OUR PARTNER-SCHOOLS
What makes us different? One major distinction is our Top Ten Wish List Approach. In South Africa, we seek out underserved, underperforming schools* in the Eastern Cape, explain our singular focus on education, and collaborate by asking administrators, educators, parents, and students to share their Top Ten Wishes for change. In short, our approach puts locals in charge of our agenda, as it should be. Below is a list of our current formal partner-schools and their Top 10 Wishes in various stages of completion. Below you will also find our current informal partner-schools and an array of smaller wishes we fulfill along the way. We fund many of these smaller wishes on DonorSee: a platform that connects the donor with the recipient of the generosity through videos. Click here to follow us on DonorSee. It’s free to sign UP, and if you do follow us, DonorSee takes 0% in fees. You can’t beat that.
* Please note that Universal Promise neither starts its own schools nor funds orphanages.
FORMAL PARTNERS
VUSUMZI
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Population 900
PARTNERSHIP STARTED
2011
STATUS
[AUXILIARY PHASE]
Vusumzi Primary School was in such a state of disrepair and dysfunction that it was the inspiration behind the founding of Universal Promise in 2011 and was the first school with which we partnered. In time, it was clear that Vusumzi Primary School was in need of not just one Top 10 Wish List but multiple Top 10 Wish Lists.
We are now at the stage that we are providing minimal assistance. We still fund insurance for the Academic Centre we built, and on occasion the school submits requests for “one-off” needs.
Overall, though, Vusumzi Primary School is largely independent and proof that our Top 10 model of partnership works. As one local put it, “Vusumzi has taken care of what you have provided and even, in some cases, made improvements.”
That is the goal: The school's independence and our ultimate departure are fundamental to our mutual success.
Any future support of any “auxiliary phase” school is contingent upon its maintenance of our invetments.
ST. IGNATIUS
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Population 550
PARTNERSHIP STARTED
2021
STATUS
[ACTIVE/CENTRAL]
WISH # 1
security system
completed
WISH # 2
clean water system
completed
WISH # 3
playground
completed
WISH # 4
arts studio
completed
WISH # 5
mobile classroom
not started
WISH # 6
kitchen renovation
not started
WISH # 7
computer lab
not started
WISH # 8
principal and staff room upgrade
planned for April 2024
WISH # 9
sports fields upgrades
scheduled for September 2024
WISH # 10
classroom renovations
completed
MOSES MABIDA
HIGH SCHOOL
Population 850
PARTNERSHIP STARTED
2022
STATUS
[ACTIVE/CENTRAL]
WISH # 1
security system
completed
WISH # 2
all-school study guides
completed
WISH # 3
water system
completed
WISH # 4
computer lab upgrade
completed
WISH # 5
outdoor learning centre
starting September 2024
WISH # 6
more classrooms
not started
WISH # 7
restroom upgrade
planned for May 2024
WISH # 8
white screens/projectors
not started
WISH # 9
administration building
not started
WISH # 10
sports fields upgrade
not started
SAMKELWE
HIGH SCHOOL
Population 1,000
PARTNERSHIP STARTED
2019
STATUS
[ PAUSED]
WISH # 1
security system
completed
WISH # 2
restroom renovation
completed
WISH # 3
computer lab
completed
WISH # 4
Internet and software
completed
WISH # 5
drug & alcohol program
in process
WISH # 6
after-school program
not started
WISH # 7
classroom renovations
partially completed
WISH # 8
school hall
not started
WISH # 9
library books
not started
WISH # 10
sports fields upgrade
not started
OUR INFORMAL PARTNERS
ADDO
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Population 1,000
In 2023, we reached out to Addo Primary School through our traditional School Uniform Drive. The school is not an official partner, but it is a focus because so many children are in need of a proper school uniform and shoes. Our goal, as it is in every school, is to have each child outfitted in a high-quality school uniform and shoes to make school a haven for learning.
Click here to donate a school uniform and to receive a follow-UP video from the student (in the new uniform) directly to you, the generous donor.
SANDISULWAZI
HIGH SCHOOL
Population 500
In 2023, in connection with Purnell School alumnae, we reached out to Sandisulwazi High School to introduce ourselves through our traditional School Uniform Drive. The school is not an official partner but still a focus because of its recent struggles, including a discouraging Grade 12 pass rate of only 22% on the matric (end-of-high school exam).
Click here to donate a school uniform and to receive a follow-UP video from the student (in the new uniform) directly to you, the generous donor.
A SCHOOL UNIFORM
and SHOES
Population Thousands
SMALL REQUESTS
GRANTED
Total Population Nearly 5,000
In South Africa, school starts with a proper school uniform and shoes, which carry weight that extends much further than the aesthetics of looking good. The fact is that while school uniforms intend to level the playing field (because uniformity is supposed to mask financial inequality), when a family cannot afford a proper uniform, the child suffers, and the guardians often feel less than, through no fault of their own. For that reason, we are on a mission to get every child in rural Sundays River Valley properly outfitted in new school uniforms and shoes so each may attend school with pride and dignity.
hundreds of school uniforms
thousands of school supplies
porridge for the children
heaters for the classrooms
tablets & calculators
coding & robotics classes
solar lanterns
funding of computer lab coordinators
funding of a library coordinator
seeds and straw bales for gardening
netball and soccer balls and equipment
cot-beds for kindergarten classes
medical support
netball and soccer uniforms
and much more…