Ubunye

Changemaker: Emma Pottinger

Country of Implementation: South Africa

Ubunye means "togetherness" in IsiXhosa, which is one of the major languages in the city of Cape Town, South Africa. Inspired by this sentiment, Ubunye is a student run development agency at the University of Cape Town that has three branches:

- the Thethani Debating League - which teaches critical thinking, persuasiveness and general knowledge through the medium of competitive debate;

- TeachOut - which tutors mathematics, functional English, physical science and accounting and

- Inkanyezi - which provides mentoring to high school students.

Ubunye provides these essential services through after-school workshops in under-resourced high schools around Cape Town. Their services exist in a context of rampant inequality, unemployment and poverty where academic support, debating and mentoring is often reserved for an elite few. Through approximately 20 weeks of workshops conducted throughout the school year (which follows the calendar year in South Africa), they are able to supplement the high school curriculum and help students from under-resourced high schools maximize their potential.

Furthermore, Ubunye, as an umbrella organization, works to create something greater than the sum of its parts by hosting events, investing in the projects sustainability and encouraging social responsiveness.