The mission of UrbanPromise International is to prepare emerging leaders to initiate, develop, and sustain Christian-based youth development organizations and seed their new ministries while serving vulnerable children and teens in our world’s most under-resourced communities.
Since our first years in Camden, the UrbanPromise model has been replicated throughout the United States and around the globe. In the 1990s, sites were launched in Vancouver (British Columbia), Toronto (Ontario), and Wilmington (Delaware). In 2003, UrbanPromise's first location in Malawi, Africa began when a former intern, William Nyasulu, created the organization YouthCare. UrbanPromise International was then established to formalize the replication process and provide the support necessary for the model to be used in other communities worldwide.
In 2008, additional Malawian interns began three more affiliate sites under the names RiseMalawi Ministries, ProjectTEACH, and ChristCares Ministries. Just a year later, UrbanPromise Honduras began in the historic city of Copán, located in the western region of the South American country. A fifth Malawi model, Rays of Hope, was launched in the country's second largest city, Blantyre, later in 2009.
Two more U.S. replications were established thereafter: UrbanPromise Miami (Florida) in summer of 2010 and UrbanPromise Trenton (New Jersey) in summer of 2011.
All of UrbanPromise's locations and affiliate ministries strive to achieve the same goal: to provide children and youth with the support needed to succeed academically, grow spiritually, and develop into leaders who can bring positive change to their communities.