Ubuntu Mundo Visiting NY

City World Tour: New York

By Sabrina Coughlin and Katya Plyshevsky

Directors of the newly formed Ubuntu-USA

This December, New York fans of Ubuntu Mundo were delighted to spend time with Cecilya and Roland as they visited schools, met with other nonprofits, consulted with a variety of professionals, and introduced Ubuntu Mundo to a wider circle of supporters. 

In its first 3½ years, Ubuntu has managed operations through a nonprofit corporation in South Africa (Ubuntu South Africa) and has raised money and awareness through a nonprofit organized in The Netherlands (Ubuntu-Europe). In June, a group of New York supporters formed Ubuntu-USA which has applied for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status (exemption pending). This “friends of” organization will raise awareness and funds in the United States to support the mission of Ubuntu Mundo as it grows. We now use Ubuntu Mundo as an umbrella term to represent the work of these 3 entities. It is the creation of Ubuntu-USA that brought Cecilya and Roland back to New York.

Many of the people visited in New York are families Cecilya knows from her teaching days at Corlears School. Over the course of their visit, Cecilya and Roland attended multiple social gatherings, meeting with dozens of those families and former students, sharing hugs and laughs, and learning about Ubuntu’s work and progress.

Ubuntu Mundo connected with young audiences through a number of school visits. First, they met with current Corlears students at a school day event for kids ranging in age from 6 to 11. It was pure magic watching the connection between Cecilya’s gifted storytelling and the students bright, engaged and big-hearted response. The children asked such beautiful and insightful questions and Cecilya and Roland were touched by their interest in the story of the children of Bodlayabongolo. The students sat in rapt attention, and through their questions and comments, they drew connections to their own lives, those of their families and what they’ve been learning in school. 

Separately, Corlears hosted an event for recent alumni where Ubuntu Mundo shared about the work in South Africa. Cecilya brought a beading project that the children had started in Bodlayabongolo, that the Corlears alums helped to complete, learning about the process and the cultural significance of this beautiful craft.