Martha Cummings
The founder and director of Universal Promise created the nonprofit to provide educational opportunities in rural South Africa . By Annie Sherman
All it took to upturn Portsmouth educator Martha Cummings ’ s life was a visit to South Africa . While on safari in Addo Elephant National Park and after experiencing the well-appointed lodge , restaurant and wild game tours , she asked her server to take her to his township , where debilitated roads , lack of utilities and decaying schools stood in stark contrast to luxury tourism . She saw a literal chasm of opposites , which sparked an internal lightning bolt .
“ Back in the U . S ., I could not close my eyes and pretend I didn ’ t see ,” she says . So , in 2011 , Cummings established Universal Promise , a nonprofit providing educational opportunities in rural Nomathamsanqa , Addo .
“ From the start , we involved local partnerships , resisted handouts , supported a school ’ s ultimate independence and planned for our eventual departure ,” she says . Toward those ends , students , parents , educators and administrators complete a top ten list to ensure a respected place of learning : targeting infrastructure , professional development and student leadership , from a kindergarten , to Vusumzi Primary School and Samkelwe Secondary School .
“ We don ’ t want to educate a handful of students , we want to educate thousands , forever . That ’ s the way to inspire change ,” says Cummings , whom South Africans named Nobuntu , the female derivative of a sub-Saharan philosophy meaning , “ I am , because of you .”
With Cummings ’ s help and private donations , they worked together to install security systems , computer labs and Internet ; built a library , arts studio , dance and yoga studios and a science lab ; funded online software and ongoing teacher training ; renovated twenty-five classrooms , dysfunctional bathrooms and kitchens ; provided electricity , thousands of school supplies and school uniforms ; upgraded playgrounds , sports fields and equipment ; and offered an after-school health and intervention program .
The entire region metamorphosed . The matriculation rate increased ; the grade twelve pass rate skyrocketed from 14 to 93 percent last year ; computer literacy grew by 100 percent ; and students that once had no opportunity to attend college are dreaming of medical school . Cummings remains modest . “ We try to bring optimism , a vision for the future ,” she says . “ They are eager to learn , to pick themselves up out of their circumstances and change their lives through education .”
Meanwhile , she continues to tutor twenty-five high school and college students across Rhode Island . She says , “ Whether in the U . S . or South Africa , I see the immediate impact of an unwavering educational philosophy and quality educators on children ’ s lives .” universalpromise . org �
LEFT : PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MARTHA CUMMINGS ; OPPOSITE : IMAGES COURTESY OF ISCO / PHOTOGRAPHY BY RACHEL HULIN .
18 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l NOVEMBER 2020