Our Partners
University of Dayton
One of our longest running and strongest institutional partners remains to be the University of Dayton. Located in Ohio, USA, The University of Dayton has a strong commitment to the Global South, including Africa. Each year, we have the honor of hosting undergraduate students from the University of Dayton’s Human Rights and ETHOS (Engineers in Technical and Humanitarian Opportunities of Service) Programs, as they conduct critical research that contributes to informing and improving our programming in Malawi. The University of Dayton established the USA’s first undergraduate human rights studies program in 1998. More than 100 students have graduated from the program and pursued careers as human rights advocates, academics, or humanitarian professionals in legal, governmental, and non-profit sectors. We are proud to partner with the University of Dayton’s Human Rights Program to provide a platform for student research and advocacy that aligns with our mission. Students have contributed to our mission through the following areas of research:
▶︎ Agricultural Risk Aversion in Smallholder Farmers
▶︎ Gender Based Violence Against the Girl Child
▶︎ Communities’ Access to Clean, Potable Water
▶︎ Student Morality in Government vs. Grant-Aided Mission Schools
▶︎ Health Systems & Their Challenges to Responding to Ever-Growing Populations
▶︎ Women’s Decision Making in the Home Using Nominal Group Technique
▶︎ Responses to People With Disabilities in the Developing World: Malawi
▶︎ NGO Leadership & Human Rights
▶︎ The Grieving Process of Orphans and Vulnerable Children
▶︎ The Impacts of Child Labor and Usipa Fishing
Human Rights and Development in Malawi The Malawi Research Practicum and the Malawi Graduate Fellowship train future human rights advocates and professionals through applied research and working with the community on critical human rights and development issues.
The ETHOS Center
ETHOS (Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities of Service Learning) seeks to provide service-learning experience through technical immersions, student activities, research, and hands-on projects within the developing world. Through these experiences, students have gained perspectives on how engineering and technology are influenced by the world. Participating students have been able to use their engineering skills for humanitarian purposes, serving others through practical engineering knowledge.
The ETHOS Program has lead the following projects in Chilumba, Malawi:
▶︎ 2011: Design and construction of an orphanage in rural Bundi Village
▶︎ 2012: Construction of a two room classroom block at Khwawa CDSS
▶︎ 2013: Construction of Tilipo nursery school & community center, serving more than 200 children
▶︎ 2015: Survey of land for a new high school, including site plan and design of water pumping system
International Citizen’s Service
The International Citizen’s Service (ICS) is a United Kingdom development program that brings together 18 to 25 year olds from all backgrounds to fight poverty in developing countries across the globe. ICS is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID).
D2D is proud to have been chosen as one of the project partners for ICS. Beginning in January 2014, D2D hosted groups of volunteers from both the United Kingdom and Malawi who joined us throughout the year, for three months at a time, to assist with D2D projects. ICS volunteers were heavily involved with D2D’s nursery education programs, working closely with nursery school teachers to provide support in lesson planning and evaluation, behavior management techniques, and introducing applied learning to the classroom. ICS volunteers also assisted with D2D reforestation projects, women’s micro-credit livestock projects, and Girls Club.
Global Undergraduate Leaders Program
The Global Undergraduate Leaders Program (GULP) is a new and innovative cohort-based leadership program for student leaders at the University of Minnesota and the Australian National University. Students at both universities collaborate virtually and embark on a leadership journey providing opportunities to enhance cross-cultural communication and global awareness. Partnering with Determined to Develop’s initiatives, the Global Undergraduate Leaders Program culminated in a two-week trip to Malawi, jointly working with D2D on development issues within our programming areas.
Columbia University
D2D was pleased to host a research group of Master’s and PhD students from Columbia University in the summer of 2013 as they conducted the first steps of a needs assessment for what has now become Wasambo Boys High School. The research team concluded with a report to the Board of Directors and local Malawian stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education.
Lattitude Global Volunteering
Past partner, Lattitude Global Volunteering, is an international youth development charity whose mission is to educate and develop young people worldwide. Latitude provides opportunities for volunteers to travel abroad and make a positive difference in the lives of others through a distinctive, challenging, structured, and supported overseas volunteering experience in a culture and community different from their own.
GoAbroad Foundation
The GoAbroad Foundation was created to support grassroots organizations around the world by generating financial support for community-based projects. Along with contributing to the development of numerous nonprofit organizations around the world and a variety of meaningful projects, the GoAbroad Foundation is dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding, raising awareness about important global causes, and building bridges between global communities.
Determined to Develop continues to be recognized for its collaborative, on-the-ground approach toward development and we are proud of our institutional partners.