Introduction

We exist to help coordinate, support and represent Scotland's many civic links with Malawi.

The Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) is the national civil society network coordinating, supporting and representing the people-to-people links between our two nations. We represent a community of 109,000 Scots with active links to Malawi.

We are a membership organisation which anyone in Scotland with an interest in Malawi can join. We are non-governmental and politically neutral. We exist to support our members and we are led by members.

We have over 1,300 member organisations and key individuals, including half Scotland's local authorities, every Scottish university and most of its colleges, primary and secondary schools, dozens of different churches and faith-based groups, hospitals, businesses, charities and NGOs, and a wide range of grass-root community-based organisations. Our work permeates almost all aspects of Scottish civil society.

We exist to inspire the people and organisations of Scotland to be involved with Malawi in an informed, coordinated and effective way for the benefit of both nations. We do this by harnessing experience, expertise and enthusiasm across Scotland and providing forums where ideas, activities and information can be shared between our members.

Our work isn't just about 'international development', with donors on one side and recipients on the other. It's about partnership, about joint working, and about friendship.

Our project is to build connections and collaboration on a multi-sectoral basis between two small nations in ways that are transformational for both. There is no template for doing this. So far as we know, we are the first to develop this model of partnership.

Learn more about the Scotland Malawi Partnership in Rev Prof Kenneth Ross' booklet 'Friendship with a Purpose".