Restoring Legacy. Building Opportunity. Empowering Communities.
The Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute advances women’s leadership, education, and community development by restoring overlooked histories and creating pathways to skills, entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods.
WHO WE ARE
The Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute (CMMI) is a South African nonprofit organisation rooted in leadership, education, women’s empowerment, and historical restoration. Named in honour of Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke — South Africa’s first Black woman university graduate and a pioneer of social justice — the Institute exists to continue her legacy through practical, community-led action.
WHAT WE DO
Women’s Leadership & Legacy
Restoring the histories of African women leaders through research, storytelling, public dialogue, and cultural programming.
Education, Skills & Entrepreneurship
Creating access to accredited training, entrepreneurship development, and future-ready skills for women and youth.
Community & Township Development
Supporting sustainable, place-based initiatives that strengthen food security, health, and local economies.
Storytelling
Hosting public lectures, commemorations, exhibitions, and national conversations that connect history, policy, and lived experience.
WHY IT MATTERS
Development without dignity is incomplete.
CMMI works at the intersection of economic empowerment and historical justice, ensuring that women are not only included in the future — but recognised in the past.
EVENTS 2026 TEASERS
CMMI’s 2026 programme honours the life, milestones, and enduring legacy of Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke through storytelling, education, wellness, and collective action.
Portraits of Power (International Women’s Day)
Art as memory. Storytelling as justice.
An arts-based initiative pairing students and embassies to tell the stories of women trailblazers whose contributions shaped societies and changed history.
March 2026
Charlotte Maxeke Birthday Golf Day
Celebrating legacy through health, sport, and care.
A fundraising and wellness event held on World Health Day, honouring Charlotte Maxeke’s birthday while supporting community sustainability initiatives.
7 April 2026
The Forgotten Graduate Lecture (Youth Month)
Education as a force for freedom.
Marking 125 years since Charlotte Maxeke’s historic graduation, this lecture honours pioneering graduates whose stories remain absent from mainstream history.
20 June 2026
Petals & Pioneers (Women’s Month)
Honouring the women who changed the course of history.
A Women’s Month celebration unveiling powerful portraits and performances that bring to life the legacies of women leaders and change-makers.
24 August 2026
Walk with Maxeke
Health, remembrance, and collective responsibility.
A 10km wellness walk held during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, commemorating Charlotte Maxeke’s life through action, care, and community.
25 October 2026