About Ubunture UTokyo
A student organization where University of Tokyo students and South African university students collaborate to address educational inequality through digital education.
Origin of the Name
Our name combines Ubuntu—a philosophy central to southern Africa—and Future.
Ubuntu is often expressed as "I am because we are": people live within relationships with others, and we shape ourselves through mutual support. Starting from this philosophy, Ubunture UTokyo values a posture of mutual learning rather than one-sided assistance—people with different backgrounds building the future together.
Opening the future through relationships with others. We work toward a society where children can expand their learning options through digital skills.
Mission
Digital education that opens the future — for every child.
We explore forms of digital education that are not dependent on the availability of devices, teacher capacity, language proficiency, or home environment, and we work to expand opportunities for children in South Africa to access their own future potential. To achieve this, we develop new digital skills teaching materials and lessons, implement them alongside local educators, and continuously improve them.
We understand digital education not merely as teaching how to use computers or the internet, but as an education that comprehensively nurtures and applies logical thinking. We aim for children to encounter concepts such as sequencing, conditional branching, repetition, problem decomposition, logical explanation, and trial-and-error with a sense that they can understand and use these ideas themselves.
Vision
Creating a new model of international education cooperation through equal collaboration between students.
By co‑creating digital education programs for children in South Africa with both University of Tokyo students and South African students, we establish a new framework for international education cooperation led by university students.
Combining South African students' deep understanding of local communities, knowledge of the education system, and closeness to children with the University of Tokyo students' interdisciplinary knowledge and project management skills, we realize a bidirectional collaboration that incorporates local perspectives on equal terms — not one-way support from an overseas organization. Through this process, the students involved also learn together how to engage with international cooperation, education, and social challenges.
What We Value
Innovation
Without being bound by existing models of international cooperation or digital education, we explore new forms of educational support: digital education without device dependency, student-led international collaboration, and co-creating teaching materials with local partners.
Local Collaboration
We respect local students, teachers, and educational institutions not as mere collaborators but as partners who think, practice, and improve together.
Act Small, Improve Often
Rather than stopping at analysis, we actually build materials, run lessons, learn from the field, and keep iterating. We value a posture of continuing to act, even in small steps.
Responsiveness
We face the reactions and feedback from local children, teachers, and students, and flexibly adjust what we do. We don't cling to plans once made — we improve by responding to voices from the field.
Child-Centred
The learning and future of children in South Africa is at the heart of our activities. We place the highest priority on expanding their future choices and enabling them to live more fulfilling lives.