We are proud to partner with the Wasambo Education Foundation (www.wasambo.org) to deliver the vast majority of our support in Malawi. Wasambo Education Foundation, led by a Malawian Board of Trustees, applies for a yearly grant from Determined to Develop with an agreed reporting structure back to D2D. In this way, Wasambo Education Foundation leads its development projects, but still has accountability back to D2D, the donor organization. 

All of our support focuses on the following areas:

Wasambo High Schools and Technical Colleges

Goal: To support the development of a state-of-the-art campus comprising of three world-class schools that educate Malawians from all backgrounds to become change makers in their family, community, and country.  

What we support:

D2D supports the physical development (infrastructure) of three schools, mainly a Boys High School, and Girls High School, and a Women’s Technical College. Beginning with the first supported school, the results have been incredible. Wasambo Boys was recently ranked in the top ten nationally, out of 1,600 schools. With this accomplishment, we are proud to see that our return on investment to the Wasambo Education Foundation is paying monumental dividends.

School Tuition Scholarship Program

Goal: To provide youth with the opportunity to access and complete their education by removing the financial barrier of tuition and schooling costs. 

What we support:

• Pay school fees for around 250 secondary students (high school), including close to 100 at full boarding schools (national and district secondary schools)

• Pay school fees for more than 50 current university and technical college students.

• Assist with upkeep and school supplies to scholarship students, as well as emergency medical expenses for illness.

• Host weekly tutoring sessions, life-skills classes, and personal development workshops.

• Host term meetings with all scholarship youth (3x per year).

Girls’ Empowerment Program

Goal: To strengthen girls’ agency in current and future decision making through positive role modeling, skills attainment, and educational support so that they advocate on their own behalf and collectively for other girls in their community, while positively contributing to development.

What we support:

• 280 Girls currently attending girl’s empowerment programming.

• Hold weekly Girls Club meetings in three different sections for girls ages 11-18 (Elementary school level, high school level, and tertiary level that help lead the lessons). Lessons aim to provide girls with tools necessary to rise above obstacles and continue their education.

• Support our girl students through personalized interaction with a staff member that makes home visits, is approachable in any problem, and is a figure that the girls can turn to.

• Operate a girls’ Income-Generating Activity (IGA). Established a chicken raising business as a sustainable way for high school girls to earn pocket money to support themselves while they finish their education. Trainings held to prepare members with necessary business skills. Once off the ground, the girls will take complete ownership of the project.

• Gender and girl issues. We offer lessons on girl child issues through a platform called Speak Up! Communicate with others.

• Provide tutoring sessions. High school graduates lead these academic sessions to support the formal classroom learning for current scholarship high school students. 

• Offer educational environmental activities. On-site animal husbandry, reforestation, greenhouse, grafting, and garden maintenance activities to promote skills training are provided each Saturday for scholarship students. 

• Host annual leadership workshops for all scholarship youth before the beginning of each school year.

• Offer computer lessons to community members in our technology center.

• Teach Health friendships: Lessons that aim at building girls and boys to develop productive friendships without infringing on each other’s rights through issues such as sexual harassment or gender insensitivity.

• Offer health education lessons to reduce the prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases and unprecedented deaths of youths caused due to certain beliefs, myths, and traditional beliefs of parents.

• Offer Extra-curricular activities: different sporting activities to promote a healthy youth, as well as to attract the youths from doing harmful practices driven by peer pressure during their free time such as smoking marijuana.

Nursery (Pre-School) & Local Education Partnerships Program

Goal: To support community driven educational assets, especially schools and early childhood development centers, that serve the larger community and include government, village, and non-profit partners. 

What we support:

• Support four local nursery schools with more than 400 children attending each day. Helped to establish and continue to assist in the operations of 4 partnering nursery schools with more than 1,000 children having completed D2D sponsored nursery education. Support included construction of three schools, sanitary kitchens, and latrine facilities.

• Support two local primary schools. Construction of a kitchen, toilets, and past support of feedings programs at Sangilo and Hara Primary Schools. D2D has delivered more than 2.5 million meals since 2010 to children.

• Support our local secondary schools (high schools). Electrified the entire campus of Khwawa CDSS and fully built two classrooms which are used by 400 students each day and assisted with roofing and cement for two more. Built latrines for girls at the school and contributed books and science equipment, as well as a Library at Thunduti CDSS.

• Support for Wasambo Education Foundation. D2D commissioned and established Wasambo Boys High School, now in its third year of operation. D2D continues to support the school’s physical development and construction while the operations (running and staffing the school) have been handed over to a Malawian Board of Directors.