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About Us

CWS's vision is of a world where children are empowered with hope for a brighter future and realise their potential in a society that respects their rights and dignity.

CWS is committed to working in partnership with organisations supporting front line work with disadvantaged and vulnerable children, young people and their communities, transforming their lives and providing them with life opportunities and the confidence to succeed. 

Please read more about CWS's story and our key achievements, or download our 2007 Annual Review. 

CWS's Story

Douglas Maclagan, Founder and Operations Director of CWS, was 28 when he had a life-changing experience in the village of Saimarang, Nepal.  He was handed a sick baby girl, by her distraught mother who was desperate for help.  The girl died in his arms.  That was the moment that changed his life, and the charity 'Child Welfare Scheme' began.

Douglas was determined to help, and asked the villagers what they needed most.  They wanted a safe place for children to play while they worked in the field, and access to free, basic health care.  Together they developed the idea of Day Care Health Centres in the villages, and built the first two centres with Douglas's own savings.  The charity ‘Child Welfare Scheme' was established in 1995, and has continued to develop projects based on empowering communities and implementing projects on a local level.  From the beginning, CWS worked in partnership with a Nepalese organisation ‘Child Welfare Scheme Nepal' (CWSN).

Whilst the scale and diversity of CWS's projects has increased substantially since, the aim has remained the same: to address the unnecessary suffering of children in Nepal and provide opportunities for a brighter future.  Douglas has been living in Nepal for over 13 years with his wife, Insuba, who he met in Saimarang.  He says:

"What I love about this work is that it helps thousands of children and reduces the high maternal mortality rate.  The cost of a cup of tea in England can save a child's life by providing the necessary medicine or preventative care so desperately needed. That still just amazes me."

Read and hear more about Douglas's amazing story and the beginnings of CWS in the Daily Record and on the BBC Radio 4 Midweek Programme. 

CWS Key Achievements so far

• 14 Day Care Health Centres in remote villages, now handed over to village committees to manage
• Primary health care facilities, including an urban purpose-built clinic, treating thousands of patients each year
• Mobile clinics and outreach health awareness for children in slum areas
• Improved cooking stoves in remote villages, saving lives and the environment
• Water project serving 7 villages
• Vocational Training Centre, supporting marginalised young people to learn new skills and live independently
• Consortium for street and working children, formed of 4 Nepalese organisations in a unique and successful collaboration
• Research undertaken for UNESCO on non-formal education and HIV/AIDS risk factors for street children
• Membership of the London based Consortium for Street Children

Special thanks to all our partners in Nepal.  Without them, none of this would have been possible.