Empowering South African Youth Through Education

Back in 2012, when the USP began, our doors opened with an after-school math program made available to all math learners in the five high schools in the Cato Manor township area of Durban.  This program was our first seed, planted at a time when pass rates in math in our schools ranged in the single digits, and when the number of learners from our five schools who were gaining admission to Bachelor’s degree study could be counted on one hand.  We soon added science enrichment as our other early seed, planted to help overcome the other deepest deficit in learning (itself dependent on math!) in South African township schools.

Thanks to you, our GlobalGiving donors, those seeds are still bearing lots of fruit! 

Our 2026 school year started off this January with enrollment in our Grade 10-12 weekend math program numbering 462 learners, including learners not only from our five partner schools but also from surrounding schools where word-of-mouth has spread awareness of our programs.  So far this year we have delivered over 103 hours of after-school teaching time through our weekend and weekday lessons, all at no charge to learners or their schools.

Our math teaching team is stronger than ever, as another of our weekend math mentors has earned her post-graduate teaching certification since our last report to you, with sponsorship support from the USP.  We are also proud to announce the hiring of our new Math Program Coordinator, Ms. Simphiwe Mkhasibe, who comes to us with a BSc (Honours) in Applied Mathematics and experience as an instructor with the Science and Technology Education Center (STEC) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).  Welcome, Simphiwe!

Speaking of the STEC, this is the community partner that provides one of the most vibrant and durable branches of our continued science offerings.  Through this partnership, the USP brings the STEC Science4U Mobile van to all Gr 10-12 physical science classrooms in all five of our schools -- with lesson plans, equipment, and teaching staff -- to deliver the curriculum-required practicals to Cato Manor science learners throughout Terms 1-3 each year.  Without this support, many of our learners would miss the experience of completing these practicals, due to under-resourcing of teaching staff, time, and materials at our partner schools.

Math and science were our first seeds, but the branches are many!  So far in this 2026 school year, the Umkhumbane Schools Project has been busy with its wide range of programs, including:

• Girls and Boys Clubs teaching life-skills to our Grade 8 learners as they start high school
• a vibrant and growing Chess program across our partner schools
• a caring team of social workers to help learners navigate personal and family challenges
• expert counseling for learners who are survivors of sexual assault
• eye exams and glasses at no cost for any learner who needs them
• staff and teacher salaries for our partner schools facing shortages
• university admissions guidance resulting in over 250 USP higher ed enrollments since 2013

We are proud to report that 25 learners in the USP’s AHEAD tertiary access program successfully enrolled in higher education programs at universities across South Africa for 2026, including the University of Cape Town, UKZN, Wits University, University of Johannesburg, and the University of Pretoria, just to name a few.  These 25 learners earned a record number of 72 Distinctions (A's) on the South African national high school exit exams.  Because poor math and science results are often the sole barrier to college admission in South Africa, our learners’ success in gaining access to higher education is surely a fruit of their improved math and science performance, achieved with the help of USP’s longest-running programs. 

 All of this is what continues to grow from the first USP seeds first planted back in 2012 and consistently nurtured thanks to you, our GlobalGiving donors -- since the very first GlobalGiving donation to the USP in 2015.  We are so grateful to each of you for making our work  possible.

Thank you for your ongoing support for The Umkhumbane Schools Project.  We look forward to sharing further updates in the months and years ahead.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Martha

Martha Fitzpatrick Bishai

Director, The Umkhumbane Schools Project

     Flashback: 2018, the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists.  The Umkhumbane Schools Project mentored a vibrant group of scholars for that year’s competition.  One learner named Joshua Tukushe earned a Bronze Medal at the Regional Expo for his project on the presence of bacteria on fresh produce in super markets. 

     Flash Forward:  2025, the USP launches a new chess program at three of our schools, building on an earlier program that was paused while we searched for a new program corrdinator.  Teams of chess players – some new to the game, others already proficient – are once again practicing during break time each day, getting ready for tournaments among our partner schools as well as more  established, external competitions.  Interest in the game is growing, and new players are showing up to learn what the game is all about. 

     And who is the driving force behind this new chess initiative?  None other than Mr. Joshua Tukushe, now working as Chess Instructor and Program Coordinator for the USP!  We are thrilled not only to have this exciting revival of chess as a program offering for our learners, but also to have one of our very own USP alumni on staff to make it all happen.

     Under Joshua's leadership, the new USP chess program has already brought remarkable opportunities to our chess players in these first nine months.  In March, Joshua registered a group of USP players for the St Henry's Marist College High School Open Chess Tournament.  On arriving at the tournament, our players were surprised to find themselves in a room full of players from elite private schools.  As the only participants from government schools, and having only had a few weeks of coaching from Joshua at that point, our players felt a bit overwhelmed.  But thanks to Joshua's encouragement and their own grit, they stepped up and played their best.  The St. Henry's tournament was "rated," meaning all the participants were officially registered with Chess South Africa as chess players.  In Joshua's words, "This was a significant milestone for our students, as it marks their entry into the competitive chess community."

     After participating in a few other inter-school matches during the school year, our players had the opportunity to enter the first annual USP Individual-School Open Chess Tournament earlier this month, toward the end of the current school year.  Nineteen learners from three different schools played six rounds to compete for individual honors.  First Place went to Phiri from Bonela Secondary, Second Place to Katlego from Bonela Secondary, and the Third Place medal was awarded to Olwethu from Wiggins Secondary.  As always, the players had fun while developing their skills, game strategies, and self-confidence.  Their smiles at the end of the day said it all.

     A continuous thread in this story from 2018 to today  – aside from Joshua’s talents – is the transformative generosity of our GlobalGiving donors.  It was thanks to this community of support that we were able to give Joshua the opportunity to learn about scientific research through his participation in the Expo, which by his own telling enhanced his self-confidence, improved his writing skills, and shaped his lifelong love of learning.  Joshua later developed a passion for playing chess and came to believe what many chess players know and what research verifies: that playing chess develops and sharpens analytical and problem-solving skills.  It builds friendships and can be the ticket to a wider world of learning and engagement once players start entering tournaments. 

     The USP has high hopes for our newly-revived chess initiative to remain an impactful program long into the future, bringing our learners’ personal growth, cognitive skills development, self-confidence, and social connection.  Joshua has big ideas, big aspirations, and the skills to make them real.  We are so grateful to be able to provide this promising program to our learners – while giving one of our former learners such an impactful professional development opportunity. 

     Thank you for making all of this possible! 

     Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

With our deep appreciation,

Martha and the USP Team

Martha Fitzpatrick Bishai

Director, The Umkhumbane Schools Project