About Us

Our History

Turning Statistics Into Action

In 2024, American educator Miles Macleod encountered a sobering statistic from UNHCR: 84% of refugees in Malaysia, ages 14-17, were not enrolled in any type of secondary school. Far fewer actually obtained any type of secondary degree.

If the Malaysian refugee community were its own country, these would represent some of the most discouraging secondary education statistics in the entire world.

Miles decided to do something about this number.

The Journey Begins

With over 20 years of teaching experience at the secondary level, Miles recognized a critical gap in the refugee education landscape. Many teenage refugees were interested in the GED program (General Education Development), an American-based secondary diploma. However, a major barrier persisted: there were not enough people qualified to teach the GED in Malaysia, especially within the refugee community.

In 2025, Miles left his position as a teacher at an international school and recruited two more American educators to join him in Malaysia. Together, they started the Garden City Learning Center with a singular purpose: meeting the educational needs of refugees in Kuala Lumpur.

Building Our Foundation

In September 2025, our first location was established in Maluri, a diverse community with a significant refugee population on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Maluri is also home to MRT and LRT stations as well as numerous bus stops. This strategic location ensures accessibility for the students who need us most.

Garden City Learning Center will officially launched its operations in January 2026, offering three distinct programs designed to address different educational needs within the refugee community.

Our Parent Organization

Garden City Learning Center operates under Kingdom Refugee Care, a faith-based nonprofit committed to equipping churches to serve in the refugee community.

Vision and Mission

Our Vision…

A world where every refugee student is equipped with the knowledge, character, and hope to build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

Our Mission…

Garden City Learning Center exists to empower refugees through quality education and life skills training.

We accomplish this mission by:

  • Providing accessible, affordable, American-curriculum secondary education through our GED program

  • Developing leadership capacity through intentional character formation and skills training

  • Creating English language proficiency pathways for refugees at all levels

  • Training and employing refugee educators to teach future generations

  • Building a supportive community where diversity is celebrated and every student belongs

  • Partnering with donors, volunteers, and organizations who share our commitment to refugee education

Our Values

Servant Leadership

We lead by serving others, putting people before position and impact before recognition.

At Garden City Learning Center, leadership means:

  • Teachers investing personally in each student’s success

  • Students supporting and encouraging their classmates

  • A community where everyone contributes to others’ growth

  • Success measured by the positive change we create in lives

Courageous Hope

We face challenges with resilience and faith, daring to believe in a future brighter than today.

At Garden City Learning Center, hope means:

  • Refusing to accept that 84% of refugee youth should remain uneducated

  • Students persisting through difficult coursework because they believe in their potential

  • A community celebrating progress and viewing setbacks as learning opportunities

  • Confidence that education can transform even the most difficult circumstances

Unified Diversity

We celebrate differences while uniting around a shared purpose, making community our strength.

At Garden City Learning Center, unity means:

  • Welcoming students from all national, ethnic, and religious backgrounds

  • Providing a non-religious GED program open to all faiths while offering halal meals

  • Learning from the diverse experiences our students bring

  • Recognizing that diversity makes us stronger, wiser, and more compassionate

Applied Knowledge

We turn learning into action, using what we know to solve problems and serve the world.

At Garden City Learning Center, learning means:

  • Academic content connected to real-world applications

  • Leadership training that students immediately practice in their communities

  • Critical thinking and problem-solving emphasized across all subjects

  • Students graduating not just with information, but with the ability to use it purposefully

Why Garden City Learning Center? 

A One-of-a-kind Learning Center for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur 
Garden City Learning Center (GCLC) is transforming what refugee education can look like by providing refugee youth with globally recognized education, leadership development, and English training — all at an affordable cost. Our goal is simple: to equip students not only with knowledge, but with the confidence and character to change their world.

Education changes everything 
When refugee youth gain access to education, they don’t just change their own future — they change their community’s story.

Here’s what makes Garden City Learning Center unique:

Globally Recognized
GED Credential

Students can earn the American GED diploma, accepted by more than 1,000 universities in over 100 countries — including the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Malaysia. 

American-Trained Educators

Our teaching team includes award-winning educators with decades of experience all over the world, ensuring authentic GED instruction and world-class academic preparation.

Affordable, Accessible Education

At just RM150 per month, Garden City offers one of the most affordable secondary education options for refugees in Malaysia. 

Leadership and Character Formation

Through our Leadership Academy, students grow in servant leadership, resilience, and teamwork — learning how to lead with purpose, integrity, and compassion.

English Immersion and Academic Fluency

Our English Immersion Program offers rapid English learning for newly arrived refugees and adults seeking to improve their language skills, helping them build confidence and communication for daily life, work, and future education opportunities.

Faster Path
to Graduation

Students can complete their GED in 1–2 years, compared to 2–3 years for IGCSE programs. Flexible testing schedules allow students to progress at their own pace.

Holistic Student
Support

We provide small class sizes, personalized tutoring, digital learning tools, mentorship, and halal lunches, ensuring that every student has the support needed to thrive.

Career and Teacher
Pathways

Graduates can apply to our Apprentice Program, a 1-year, faith-based teacher training track that equips former students to become GED teachers themselves — multiplying impact across the refugee community.

Faith-based Values,
Open to All

Garden City Learning Center operates under Kingdom Refugee Care (KRC), a faith-based organization. While our GED program is secular and open to all students, it exists within a community that welcomes people of every nationality and belief with respect and care.

Community
Transformation

Educated refugees become leaders, role models, and advocates — strengthening families, inspiring peers, and contributing to the communities where they live and resettle.