The Story of the Communiversity of South Africa

As South Africa has faced and continues to face a huge educational void that has translated into many forms of social and economic unease, inequity and even desperation, many non-profit and non-governmental organizations have offered their hopeful answers for addressing this nationwide issue.

We are one of them.

With the dedication of its caring and inspiring faculty, management and staff, including some of its own graduates, and supportive classroom monitors from the communities it serves, the Communiversity has grown exponentially -- creatingg strong partnerships both with the communities and with the local colleges, along with committed benefactors and continuous good will from all who have become part of the Communiversity family.

The two founders, Dr. Melanie Brown and Marcia Abrahams, began the Communiversity of South Africa in 2012 as an optimistic lifeline in an ocean of real need – especially to offer a second chance to some of the vast numbers of young people who may have completed high school or dropped out but who are either sitting home doing nothing or who are desperate for work or are in gangs or drug-related activities – deserving, bright youth without viable access to employment, training, college or university – who constitute the majority of the unemployed in South Africa.

Our History

Campuses

Benefactors

A Brief History

In 2012, the initial Communiversity of South Africa programme was set up as a post-secondary educational opportunity in Vrygrond, a former squatter camp and high-risk community in Cape Town, to provide a college and work preparation programme for Vrygrond’s young people – a potential local access road to a better future. Classrooms were made available in a new local community centre built by the foundations of singer/philanthropists Annie Lennox and Sir Elton John. The Communiversity then moved from Vrygrond in 2017 and brought its programme to a shared facility in the Westlake community and then moved its campus to the YMCA branch in Strandfontein in 2019. In 2021, the Communiversity relocated to a community centre run by Ikamva Labantu in the vast community of Khayelitsha. It has expanded to four more communities since then.

At present, the Communiversity of South Africa is working within direct partnerships in five Cape Town communities: In Khayelitsha, partnering with Ikamva LaBantu, in Hanover Park (Lansdowne) and Beacon Valley (Mitchells Plain), partnering with the Uniting Reformed Church in both communities. There is also a fourth unpartnered campus in Tokai serving neighbouring communities, and a fifth location starting in Masiphumelele in partnership with Masisports. More campuses are envisioned in more communities over the next few years.

The Communiversity has now become a well-trod pathway for young people to prepare for and enter technical colleges and universities or to enter the workplace or training for the workplace or to start businesses. It has proven to be an effective yet low-cost model with dramatic outcomes in tune with national needs that could be replicated throughout South Africa, the African continent and globally - in order to fulfill a universal mandate that all persons, from any community, must have the chance to rise economically and socially, and be able to fulfill their highest personal goals.

A Note from the Founders

"When we started the Communiversity of South Africa in 2012, we had real hope but no real guarantee whether our vision for Communiversity would be of lasting benefit to the students and communities of South Africa or that it would grow into its current success – serving as a significant link between the youth, secondary schools, families, communities, and last but not least, serving as a vital preparation for student entry into the local technical colleges, other colleges and universities and work and training programmes.

We also had no idea that the name we chose –-“Communiversity”-- would so perfectly express what we have now become—-an innovative, high-impact programme with excellent outcomes, emerging as a low-cost model for pre-college preparation and entry with a clear focus on self-development, character-building and higher education access that is wholeheartedly community-based."

Community Campuses

Khayelitsha Campus

Ikamva Labantu Kwakhanya Educare Centre

Lansdowne (Hanover Park) Campus

Uniting Reformed Church Claremont

Beacon Valley Campus (Mitchells Plain)

Uniting Reformed Church Beacon Valley

Masiphumelele Campus

MasiSports

Pictured: Two former MasiSports interns Ntunzi Njini and Yomela Hoho

Tokai Campus

Currently unpartnered, but serving all neighbouring communities

Our Community of Benefactors

We want to express our deepest gratitude to all our Communiversity benefactors. We could never have accomplished anything without you!

The Communiversity is -- and has always been -- entirely privately funded by good-hearted donors. Some are South African, some are American, and some are world-wide. Some give through family and corporate foundations, some are individual donors, some give as volunteers. Some have a lot of money, some have very little money but all have generous and loving hearts and are proud of the achievements of the Communiversity students and how the Communiversity operates with full transparency and highest integrity. The progressive success, highest integrity and stable management of Communiversity have been positively recognized in the funding world, where its low-cost, high-return is sometimes expressed as an organization that gives "more bang for your buck!"

Recent Benefactors

Below are the names of our most supportive and/or our most recent benefactors, excluding those who wish to remain anonymous.

Benefactors from the Beginning: Personnel, Donors, Friends and Advisors

We are deeply grateful for the profound commitment, heartfelt engagement and generous support – both financial and advisory – that we received from our benefactors and other supporters through the years – and who continue to nurture and fuel our growth and success.

Listed alphabetically by first name

Financial Management

  • The Communiversity employs a finance management company, Simple Solutions, headed by Lisa Wimmers, the Communiversity Finance Director, who keep the books, monthly reports, prepare the payroll and conduct all other payments and banking transactions, with each grant fund separately accounted for and maintained.
  • In addition, all finances are overseen by an auditing company, BDV Platinum, whose chartered accountants have expertise in the non-profit world and who prepare the annual financial audit and other financial information when needed.
  • The Communiversity also works with a chartered accountant, Peter Ross, who oversees its BBBEE accreditation.
  • The Communiversity is 100% committed to operating with highest integrity and transparency and has had NO financial or governance issues arise since its inception in 2012.