For a quarter century, Teachers Across Borders Southern Africa (TABSA) has helped thousands of rural educators attain professional development to teach students math and science. More than 9,000 African educators have taken workshops, touching the lives of approximately 2 million young learners.
After 25 years of leading Teachers Across Borders Southern Africa (TABSA), Yunus Peer is bringing the in-person professional development workshops to a close. Through the decades, TABSA empowered thousands of teachers with the training and tools to provide STEM education – touching the lives of approximately 2 million students in rural South Africa.
For Peer, the decision to step back was not taken lightly. “I’ve always believed in moving on at the top of my game,” he reflects. “Not waiting until the signs tell you it’s time to go.”
TABSA has been more than a program – it’s been a second full-time job. Over the years, Peer shouldered the financial burden of fundraising, the responsibility of assembling the US team, designing curricula tailored to rural schools, and managing the daunting logistics of four weeks of workshops serving between 500 and 1,000 teachers. Each summer, he led 15 – 20 American educators on the ground, working side by side with African colleagues in a completely volunteer-driven effort.
Reflecting on TABSA’s remarkable journey, Peer points to the generosity of Punahou colleagues who joined him. “They are well aware of the privileges we have here in the first world,” he says, “and they gave of themselves to our African colleagues with the same spirit of generosity, curiosity, kindness, and love that they show every day on campus.”
Peer’s own path was shaped by resilience. “I was a University of Hawai‘i janitor working the night shift in 1978, just two months before I graduated with a degree in psychology. Patience, tenacity, a strong sense of self, and finding ways to bring people together for the common good have been both my goals and my gifts.
Pride and Gratitude
More than 9,000 African teachers have taken part in TABSA workshops, and 260 U.S. colleagues trusted Peer enough to join him in this work. “That trust is something I will always treasure,” he says. “The magic that happens in a TABSA workshop makes every effort worthwhile – because it means our children’s dreams will not be dictated by the color of their skin.”
Over the years, many Punahou teachers and alumni lent their talents to TABSA. This summer’s team included Grade 7 Mathematics Faculty Joseph Manfre, Grade 6 Science Faculty Zoe Namba ’12, Academy Computer Science Faculty Samantha Berman, former faculty Brittney Mujica, and alumni Brad Uy ’99, and Laurie Lee ’80.
Past Punahou faculty have included Jim Clarke, Michael Pavich, Michael Vogel, Will Best, Michael Hu, John Proud, Yukio Hamada, Jennifer Hong ’92, Ralph Dykes, George Scott, Heather Taylor ’92, Mark Hannington, Robin Otagaki, Gail Peiterson, Alexandra Paer ’08, Kelly Smith, and Carl Wheeler. Punahou alumni included Lyla Berg ’69, Aaron Culliney ’92, Owen Martel ’05, Grant Sugimura ’15 and Neo Alabastro ’20.
A Lasting Impact
While the professional development workshops have ended, Peer and his wife Laurie Lee are carrying on with the sanitary pad program for rural schools, along with the school uniform, scholarship and computer lab initiatives. The twelfth computer lab is currently being set up at Holy Cross School in Mthatha, Eastern Cape province, where TABSA held workshops with 220 teachers in July 2025.
Looking back, the numbers are staggering: nearly 2 million students have been impacted in Southern Africa through TABSA since 2001. But for Peer, the legacy is about more than numbers.
“Punahou is a private school serving a public and global purpose,” he says with a smile. “And I love the sound of that.”
Yunus Peer says the Punahou community has been a consistent source of support for TABSA over the years. This summer’s team included Grade 7 Mathematics Faculty Joseph Manfre, Grade 6 Science Faculty Zoe Namba ’12, Academy Computer Science Faculty Samantha Berman, former faculty Brittney Mujica, and alumni Brad Uy ’99 and Laurie Lee ’80.
