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Meet the Hope4Development team

  • mark81964
  • 17 hours ago
  • 4 min read
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At the heart of every meaningful change are people—individuals who show up, bring their skills, share their compassion, and help transform ideas into tangible results.


At Hope4Development, our impact in rural Malawi is powered by a team united across two continents. Today, we are delighted to introduce the dedicated individuals who make our mission possible.

Our Directors

Hope4Development is guided by six directors, three based in Malawi and three in the UK, who together bring experience, vision, and a shared passion for community development.


Directors based in Malawi

Jeremiah Jumbe, John Chipeta, and Richard Bandawo lead our local governance and community engagement.

  • Jeremiah, formerly a long-standing councillor and now a local MP, brings invaluable community insight. He has served on government-level education committees.

  • John, a successful local welder, shares his technical skills with our Youth Development Programme (YDP) students. He is a successful businessman and trainer, and has served as a school governor.

  • Richard contributes his expertise in computing and practical experience in animal husbandry.


UK-based Directors

Charity founders Sara and Mark Goodman, along with Neil Ambler, provide strategic oversight and work closely with the Malawi team both remotely and through frequent visits. Neil, who joined in 2022, now serves as our Technical Director.


Schools Programme Lead

Charis Miles, our interim Schools Coordinator, is based in the UK but collaborates closely with the Malawi team to supervise the primary school programmes and educational initiatives.

Our Coordinators

These six coordinators lead our key programme areas with passion, professionalism, and a strong commitment to making a positive impact in the community.


Andrew and Aubrey.
Andrew and Aubrey.

  • Andrew Kapulula – YDP Manager & Mentor

    Andrew leads the Youth Development Programme with wisdom, integrity, and spiritual insight. He also oversees our National, District, and University Sponsorship Programmes. Andrew is also a worship leader in his local church and leads the skills centre devotions and worship times.

  • Aubrey Bottoman – Farm Manager

    Aubrey’s journey with Hope4Development began as a sponsored student at Lunzu Secondary School. He later joined us as an intern and completed agricultural training through Crown, where he discovered his passion for farming. Today, he applies that passion to managing and expanding our farm operations.


Harriet and Andrea.
Harriet and Andrea.

  • Harriet Chirwa – Healthy Living Coordinator

    Harriet joined in 2024 and leads the Ufulu Programme. She also teaches healthy living classes to YDP students and the wider community and helps oversee the Hope Sponsorship Programme.

  • Andrea Kapeni – Literacy Coordinator

    A former sponsored student at Lunzu Secondary and librarian at Tapani Primary School, Andrea stepped into the role of Literacy Coordinator in 2024. He now leads literacy initiatives across all our partner primary schools.


Cuthbert and Thomas.
Cuthbert and Thomas.

  • Cuthbert Brown – Technical and Administrative Coordinator

    Another graduate of the sponsorship programme, Cuthbert first joined Hope4Development as an intern before taking on the role of Technical and Administrative Coordinator. In 2026, he will begin a distance-learning university course in business management while continuing to strengthen operations at Hope Skills Centre.

  • Thomas Kondwani – Accounting Officer

    Thomas first met Sara and Mark while working with another local NGO. With guidance from Mark, he pursued training in accountancy and later gained accounting experience working in a private hospital in Blantyre. He joined Hope4Development in 2024 as our Accounting Officer.

Our Support Team

A strong support team keeps every programme running smoothly.


  • Bernard Mtonyo – A former sponsored student and intern, Bernard has been part of the team for a long time. He now works as our Administrative Assistant supporting Cuthbert at Hope Skills Centre. He also assists with practical lab work at Hope Secondary School and with our skills centre educational support classes.

  • Idah Bornwell – Once a sponsored student and librarian, Idah is now our Educational Support Worker assisting Harriet with the Ufulu Programme.

  • Kennedy Ghama – A local team member working alongside Aubrey to maintain the Skills Centre gardens and farmland.

  • Alinafe Mwasola – Our cook, preparing nutritious lunches for staff and YDP students as well as daily phala for breakfast.

  • Chrissy Makaika – A recent university graduate and former sponsored student, now working as a Literacy Support Worker at Chipwepwete Primary School.

 Our 2025 Interns


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Our newest team members graduated from both the Sponsorship Programme and the Youth Development Programme before joining Hope4Development in 2025.


Literacy Support Workers

  • Ibrahim Livson – Based at Hope Skills Centre.

  • Peter Winico – Serving at Tapani Primary School in his home village.

  • Philip Kondwani – Based at Chimwembe Primary School.


Tailoring Interns

Using tailoring skills learned during YDP, these interns produce uniforms and reusable sanitary pads for local students:

  • Sauda Maulana

  • Juliana Mkwete

  • Lonjezo Kungaume – Also helping train the incoming YDP cohort.

    Youth Development Programme Intern

  • Bright Kapsanga – Supporting Andrew with programme delivery and student mentorship.

Farm Intern

  • Innocent Charles – Supporting Aubrey and contributing to the chicken project as it develops.

 Guards

We also have a small team of local guards who work to help keep Hope Skills Centre secure.

 

Together, we are working towards our aims at Hope4Development: to reduce poverty locally and glorify God.


Our dedicated and remarkable team shapes every programme, student, and community we reach. From literacy to farming, from healthy living to skills development, the people behind Hope4Development embody resilience, passion, and the shared belief that change is possible.


Can you help a child in Malawi?


Thanks to the support of our partners, sponsors, fundraisers and volunteers, Hope4Malawi's Youth Development programmes, building projects, resourcing initiatives, and student sponsorships continue to provide life-changing opportunities for children in rural Blantyre.


Contact us for further information on how to get involved.

 
 
 

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