During several trips to South Africa, Martha Cummings really got to know some of the locals working at the places she stayed and restaurants she ate in.
One night, while speaking to a number of South Africans in their early 20s, Cummings asked the group what their dreams were. Some wanted to be nurses or EMT workers or secretaries. But regardless of their desired careers, they all spoke in the past tense because, as Cummings put it, they believed their dreams had no chance of coming to fruition.
Having been an educator for decades, Cummings decided to do something about that.
Her Newport-based nonprofit, Universal Promise, has raised money to donate to struggling schools in South Africa for nearly the last decade. Most of that money has gone toward the township of Nomathamsanqa, located in the town of Addo on the Eastern Cape of the country.
“My belief is that education is the single greatest means to eradicate poverty and systemic subordination,” Cummings told Rhode Island Inno. “When we come into a place, change happens very quickly.”
“Most nonprofits think they know what’s best for the community, but we actually listen to them.”
Universal Promise works with locals in South Africa to identify schools in desperate need of funding. Then, Cummings' team does own extensive research on other nonprofits’ successes and struggles, and examines reports, documentaries, and statistics to guide their actions.
Once a school is chosen, Cummings and her team also speak to administrators, educators, teachers, students and parents to identify a school system's top 10 greatest needs so they can help effectively. Stakeholders at the school assist in the process by doing things like cleaning and moving furniture. Then, Universal Promise finds one or two local businesses to help split the costs of the upgrades.
“We have a rare approach to interacting with and involving the local population we serve,” said Cummings. “Most nonprofits think they know what’s best for the community, but we actually listen to them.”
For instance, Cummings said the organization quickly learned through the top-10-needs exercise that security projects, such as proper fencing and alarm systems, need to be taken care of first. Otherwise, there could be break-ins and vandalism, which is not only counterproductive but is also not in the best interest of donors.
Cummings said the overall goal of Universal Promise is to find a balance between making a one-time donation and becoming overbearing.
“We don’t believe in strict handouts, and we don’t believe in just going in, giving and leaving, as a one-off, or even in a sustainable way, because we think that promotes paralysis. We also think that sends a very bad message that they are actually incapable of doing it themselves,” said Cummings. “It’s a real partnership, which underscores their sense of self-esteem and really empowers them to believe they can do more on their own when we are no longer there.”
Since launching nearly 10 years ago, Universal Promise has raised around $1.5 million and has over a 90 percent giving rate. The funds have mainly come from donors—more than 1,000 who give anywhere between $1 and $25,000.
The organization has completed projects at the Langbos Creche and Care Centre School (pre-K and kindergarten), the Vusumzi Primary School (kindergarten through seventh grade) and Samkelwe Secondary School (grades eight to 12).
Those projects include building a wind turbine that generates electricity, renovating dozens of classrooms, donating laptops and tablets, fixing up restrooms that have not worked since 2008, installing new security systems and funding a permaculture garden that provides students with healthy options for breakfast and lunch.
Universal Promise also completely renovated and rebuilt the Vusumzi Primary School, adding a library, dance studio, science lab, art studio, 31-station computer lab, netball courts, a playground, a green water and purification system and a new security system.
The organization has also created after-school programs that offer yoga, robotics classes and emotional, physical and sexual health education.
Now, having helped almost all grades K-12 in Nomathamsanqa, Cummings said Universal Promise is beginning to think about the next community to assist.
Additionally, Cummings would like to tap into a bigger network of donors. Universal Promise previously received an award in Newport for being a “best-kept secret.” While Cummings was thrilled about the award, she said it also shows that the organization needs to do a better job of getting the word out.
“The poverty levels in countries like South Africa are so much more extreme than over here,” she said. “We would like more people to know about us, because I think they would be impressed with what we’ve accomplished.”
