Determined to Develop (D2D) is a U.S. based 501(c)3 non-profit charity with the mission to assist education projects in Malawi, Africa. D2D is entirely grant-making, and partners with Malawian non-profits and community-based organizations to promote locally-led development in the education sector.

In 2023 D2D supported the following projects through Wasambo Education Foundation:

Wasambo High School

98% pass rate in National Examination (compared to 65% national average)

50 Students were supported with full scholarship

Tuition Scholarship

Girls Empowerment

Nursery Schools

ACCOMPLISHEMENTS TO DATE

Throughout the years, we are continually thankful to our donors and partners for funding incredible advancements in Malawi. Over the life of the organization, D2D has made the following demonstrable impact, changing lives and creating opportunities for tens of thousands:

▸ Sponsored over 3,500 students through secondary school.

▸ Initiated the Wasambo Education Foundation project, which built the first of three planned schools of learning, and which was ranked in the top ten (of 1,600 schools) nationally in only its second year.

▸ Over the years, provided a home for more than 150 students in foster care as they grew into adults and productive, informed citizens of their country.

▸ Hosted students from the United States and Malawi in conducting social science research informing not only our programming, but development programming of the larger landscape in Malawi with great value.

▸ Established 4 pre-schools schools (also called Early Childhood Development Centers), including building the infrastructure, training of teachers, and developing pre-school curriculum.

▸ Fed over 3.2 million nutritious meals to youth in school feeding initiatives.

▸ Constructed sanitary kitchens, libraries, school blocks, compost toilets, facilities for girls for local schools, and electrified an entire school campus.

▸ Installed several water systems, including at Sangilo Hospital which serves over 30,000 people.

▸ Establish four women-run businesses, with over 300 beneficiaries, that are still operating to this day.

▸ Distributed over 53,000 trees that were planted in the community, completely changing the landscape and combatting deforestation.

OUR VISION:

A future where all people realize their full potential  through access to quality education.

OUR VALUES:

Compassion – We commit to treating people from all walks of life with dignity and respect.

Connections – We know that the strength of our relationships build partnerships that allow us to accomplish our mission. 

Integrity – We are true to our ideals and values and do what we say we will do.

Empowerment – We believe that personal responsibility gives value to people’s inner drive.

Good Stewardship – We believe in safeguarding the trust that partners place in us.

D2D has had a long history of evidence-based development and making a spectacular impact, with three iterations of its history:

THE EARLY DAYS (2010-2013)

Our founder, Matt Maroon, was inspired to assist in development initiatives like those in which he had been a part of during his two years volunteering in Malawi from 2006 to 2008. In 2009, after finishing his graduate degree, Matt moved to Chilumba in Malawi’s Northern Region, where he began laying the foundations for what would soon become Determined to Develop (D2D). Matt and a small team of Malawians spent their first year in 2010 building the infrastructure needed for the project. At the same time, they held meetings with chiefs, village development committees, women’s groups, civil society leaders, government stakeholders, and even the kings of tribes to discuss shared goals for development. These meetings established education, women’s empowerment, environment, and health as the area’s top development priorities and solidified our strong partnership with the community.

As we gained contributions from outside donors, we were able to start implementing development projects in the Chilumba area. As donations increased, so too did our number of beneficiaries. Maintaining our commitment to incorporating community members in all aspects of project-development, we have been able to expand our programming to benefit thousands of people in Northern Malawi and beyond.

MOVING TO AN ACTIVE BOARD (2013-2020)

In 2013, our founder realized that he needed help, oversight, and expertise. He worked to recruit and train a Board of Directors, moving from a passive in-name-only board to one of highly experienced leaders. During our years of directly implementing education programming, the Board took a leadership role in supporting and organizing our efforts. At the beginning of this period, we were involved in many aspects of development in Chilumba. But as our organization grew, staff members were added to the team and programming expanded. Although progress was being made in each of the development sectors, it was our educational programming that was having the most significant impact. Meanwhile, meetings with community stakeholders and a thorough needs assessment concluded that education was the top development priority for the region. In 2017, we received support from our Board of Directors to transition to an organization rooted firmly and solely in education. Other projects were either phased out or taken up by other organizations. Feed the Children took over the primary school feeding initiative, for example, and the women-run business groups took complete ownership of their operations. This allowed us to focus our programs on youth education.

LOCALIZED DEVELOPMENT (2021-Present)

From 2021, it was clear that the future of development and aid, and our own philosophy, was to give power and agency to local Malawians to steer their development needs in the direction that was best for them. We were always heading in this direction and with COVID-19 and the on-the-ground situation, the timing was right. From 2021, D2D moved from an active on-the-ground-in-Malawi organization to a grant-making organization based solely in the U.S. with a mission to support Malawian-led, Malawian-run local development initiatives. This meant that we needed to trust the structures we had built and rely on local leaders to take up the mantle and lead. Our signature support for these initiatives is through the Wasambo Education Foundation, which receives the vast majority of our funding. Wasambo Education Foundation also took over much of our programming when D2D moved to localization, meaning all of our youth that we were directly supporting began to be supported through Wasambo Education Foundation. We are proud of the partnership and leadership of the Wasambo Education Foundation Board of Trustees in Malawi. For more information, see their website at: www.wasambo.org.