About Us

CMLD co-founders Steve and Elaine

Let us tell you our story

Cape Maclear Learning and Development (CMLD) is a non-profit organisation based in Mangochi District, Malawi, founded by a team of volunteers from the UK and Ireland. We’ve being living and working in Cape Maclear since 2008, a village on the southern tip of Malawi that we’ve come to call home!

Passionate about education and development, we started CMLD to help make a positive impact on the lives of people from this wonderful community.

Whilst it is a country known for its stunning beauty and friendliness, Malawi is also one of the poorest countries in the world.

Sadly, higher education and vocational training opportunities are often out of the reach for many Malawians - whilst primary school education is free, secondary and tertiary education requires funding which most Malawian families simply cannot afford.

We therefore set up CMLD to help young people pursue their dreams beyond primary education.

Using our collective knowledge about the local culture and education system - and working in close collaboration with the chiefs and local community - we identify high-achieving students who without financial assistance would otherwise struggle to pursue furthur education.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are proud to have supported many students to completion of secondary school and university education already (see our success stories to meet a few of our successful graduates).

In addition to scholarships, we're deeply committed to providing diverse vocational training programmes.

These initiatives aim to empower individuals and equip them with the practical skills required for income generation and enriched life experiences.

Please join us on our journey - your donation has the potential to transform lives not just for today but for the future! Any amount whether big or small can make a lasting impact on the development of this community.

Many thanks for reading, and we appreciate any help you can provide. As we say in Chichewa, “zikomo!”

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Meet the Team