Country profile

Malawi      New Zealand Capital Lilongwe Wellington Population 13.5 million 4.1 million Official language/s English and Chichewa English and Maori Per capita income US$170 US$27,250 NZ$1=US$0.70 NZ$242 NZ$38,928 Life expectancy 47 years 80 years Under 5 mortality rate 120/1000 5/1000 Adult literacy 64% 99% (Source: UNICEF The State of the World's Children 2008)

Jump to the Malawi Country Update

People
Most Malawians are of Bantu origin. The largest ethnic group is the Chewa. Approximately 80 per cent of the people are Christian and 13 per cent Muslim. The remainder mostly follow traditional beliefs. About 85 per cent of people live in rural villages.

History
The first Westerners to visit Malawi were Portuguese merchants, slave traders, British explorers, such as Dr Livingstone, and missionaries.

Malawi was under British rule between 1891 and 1964. For three decades after independence, it was ruled by a single-party under the leadership of Dr Hastings Banda.

The first multi-party elections were held in 1994. Since then, the Government has brought changes such as free and compulsory primary education, freedom of the press and an anti-corruption campaign.

Geography
A small, landlocked country, Malawi is at the southern end of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. Lake Nyasa (or Lake Malawi) is the country’s most prominent physical feature and is some 580km long. Malawi has a sub-tropical climate, with cooler temperatures in the mountains. There are two seasons – a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October.

Economy
Tobacco makes up half of Malawi’s exports. Tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products and apparel are also exported. Falling prices of commodities, such as tobacco and tea, have decreased small farmers’ incomes. The high cost of airfreight and difficulties transporting goods to ports in neighbouring countries are significant export barriers.

Malawi’s economy depends on substantial inflows of foreign aid, especially to combat food shortages. The country has received significant debt relief.

Agriculture
Most families rely on home-grown agriculture; crops include maize, beans, rice, cassava and groundnuts. Pressure from the expanding population has decreased farm sizes; 40 per cent of farms are smaller than half a hectare. Droughts, heavy rains and crop failures mean many families can not produce enough to eat.

Education
Children enrol in school from age 6. The Government introduced free primary education in 1994, but there were not enough schools or teachers to absorb the large number of students who enrolled. Untrained teachers were recruited as a temporary measure; three-quarters of these have since been trained. There is only one primary school teacher for every 60 pupils and some classes are still held outdoors. Education can be of poor quality and many students repeat levels or drop out. Secondary schooling is expensive – only 25 per cent of children study at this level.

HIV and AIDS
AIDS is the leading cause of death for the most productive age group (15 - 49 years). Adult HIV prevalence remains stable at 14 per cent. More than 550,000 children have lost one or both parents and many more children have been made vulnerable. In 2004, the Government announced a programme to tackle HIV and AIDS and began to provide free anti-retroviral medicines for people.

Health
Around one-third of the total population is malnourished and the growth of half of the children under 5 is stunted due to the effects of malnutrition. Under-5 mortality has decreased significantly during recent years, but Malawi still has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world. Poor sanitation and lack of safe water cause diarrhoea and cholera. Malaria is also common. The health system is struggling to deal with HIV and AIDS. There are few rural clinics and health professionals, with many trained nurses attracted to higher paying jobs overseas.

Jump to the Top of the Page

Malawi COUNTRY UPDATE

COMMUNITY GROUPS

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead, well respected and published anthropologist

In Malawi, World Vision’s assistance in establishing community-based organisations has led to a network of groups that are making a significant difference in their own communities.

World Vision’s approach to community development focuses on training people to bring about change themselves. While this may mean change occurs at a slower rate than we in New Zealand would like, it ensures the developments are truly desired, owned by the community and sustainable after World Vision has moved on.

One way of doing this is to train interested parties to take the lead in their focus theme. People who are concerned about the health of their children are encouraged to join water, sanitation or health committees. Farmers who are keen to get more out of their land group together in farmers clubs.

As groups are established, World Vision provides relevant training and equipment. Each group learns about leadership, management, finance, project management and topics such as HIV and AIDS, child rights and gender equity. World Vision helps them plan and implement their activities, gradually handing over full control to the group.

Mikolongwe Area Development Programme (ADP) helped establish an HIV and AIDS support group called Namitambo Support Group. This group of people living with HIV and AIDS help each other to live positively, eat nutritiously and get medical attention when necessary. They also provide counselling and support for people who undergo HIV tests and families affected by HIV and AIDS.

There is a milk bulking group in Mikolongwe, through which farmers learn dairying techniques and find markets for their milk. Woodlot committees and village natural resource committees work together to improve the natural environment, promoting soil conservation and tree planting.

Chata ADP’s Root and Tuber Association supports farmers to experiment with new varieties of drought-resistant sweet potatoes and cassava. They have developed close links with technical officers from the Ministry of Agriculture so they can continue to learn.

In Blantyre, World Vision has established two vocational training centres, and two new community-based organisations have recently been set up to manage them.

Each ADP has community-based childcare centres, which have been set up by people concerned about the wellbeing of local preschoolers. These groups provide vital childcare during the day, releasing parents and older siblings to work or attend school. Many groups have established side projects, such as vegetable gardens, so they can provide a nutritious midday meal for the children.

People who have shown their leadership abilities through World Vision-facilitated organisations are often in demand at higher levels of community leadership, sometimes even being elected to roles such as community chairperson. As World Vision educates communities about gender, more women are taking on these positions.

With strong community groups working on aspects of daily life, the changes they bring about should be sustainable.