Long term solutions – not short term fixes

Malawi is a beautiful country in Central Africa which at 118 480 sq. km is slightly smaller than England (130 410 sq km), (Bavaria, Germany is 70 553 sq. km). It has the huge Lake Malawi – also called the Calendar Lake as it is 365 miles long and 52 miles wide and covers nearly 20% of the total area of the country.

The people are very friendly and cheerful, despite between 1 million and 30 % of the 13 million population being infected with HIV.

There are at least 700 000 AIDS orphans – but the reality is probably closer to 1 000 000. Sometimes, locally, the word orphan can mean only one parent is dead. However, this is not Europe, so having only one parent and no social services or support means that kids often abandon school so that they can help feed their younger brothers and sisters. It was in Malawi that I heard that chilling phrase “Child-lead families”.

Survival rates are low and life expectancy is under 45. Health facilities are stretched and nurses and doctors are under enormous pressure.

Primary school education is free and provided by the government and although class numbers are high with often over 60 in a class, the children are incredibly motivated and the teachers very dedicated.

Senior school is where it gets tricky. Schools can be 10 miles away  – effectively unreachable for a 13 year old who has to walk there and back and then try and feed his/her younger brothers and sisters.

Industry is limited and GDP is less than a £1 a day per head. Investment and access to export markets provides employment and combined with education and training is the escape route from aid dependency.

Malawians want simple things. Survival, education and training and a route away from aid and towards some level of economic self sufficiency.

OrphanAidMalawi is focused on turning three words, taken for granted in Europe, into reality:  Survive, Learn, Earn – each has a separate page on this site.

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Excerpts from Wikipedia and the CIA Factbook

The Republic of Malawi is a democratic, densely populated country located in southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the north-west, Tanzania to the north Mozambique, which surrounds it on the east, south and west. The origin of the name Malawi remains unclear; it is held to be either derived from that of southern tribes, or noting the “glitter of the sun rising across the lake”.

Geography

Mulanje Mountain

Economy

Malawi has a GDP per capita of 287 US dollars. It is a landlocked, densely populated country. Its economy is heavily dependent on agriculture.  Traditionally Malawi has been self-sufficient in its staple food, maize, and during the 1980s exported substantial quantities to its drought-stricken neighbors. Agriculture represents 38.6% of the GDP, accounts for over 80% of the labor force, and represents about 80% of all exports..

Malawi’s economic reliance on the export of agricultural commodities renders it particularly vulnerable to external shocks such as declining terms of trade and drought. High transport costs, which can comprise over 30% of its total import bill, constitute a serious impediment to economic development and trade. Malawi must import all its fuel products. Paucity of skilled labor; difficulty in obtaining expatriate employment permits; bureaucratic red tape; corruption; and inadequate and deteriorating road, electricity, water, and telecommunications infrastructure further hinder economic development in Malawi. However, recent government initiatives targeting improvements in the road infrastructure, together with private sector participation in railroad and telecommunications, have begun to render the investment environment more attractive.

Life expectancy in Malawi is now as low as53 due to:

•insufficient nutrition

•poor access to medical treatment

•low income (the mean per capita income in Malawi is less than $1 per day)

•extreme lack of foresight by Government

•Mis-use of international donations

•insufficient school education

•spread of HIV/AIDS

•government economic restrictions

•corruption

•climate change

Health

Infant mortality rates are high, and life expectancy at birth is 50.03 years. There is a high adult prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS, with an estimated 930,000 adults (or 11.9% of the population) living with the disease in 2007. There are approximately 68,000 deaths a year from HIV/AIDS (2007).^[20] Approximately 250 new people are infected each day, and at least 70% of Malawi’s hospital beds are occupied by HIV/AIDS patients. The high rate of infection has resulted in an estimated 5.8% of the farm labor force dying of the disease, and HIV/AIDS is expected to lower the country’s GDP by at least 10% by 2010. The government spends over $120,000 each year on funerals for civil servants who die of the disease.^[21]

There is a very high degree of risk for major infectious diseases, including bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, plague,schistosomiasis and rabies.^[20] Malawi has been making progress on decreasing child mortality and reducing the incidences of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; however, the country has been “[performing] dismally” on reducing maternal mortality and promoting gender equality.^[33]

Area:

total: 118,480 sq km

land: 94,080 sq km

water: 24,400 sq km

Population:15,028,757

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46.1% (male 3,143,724/female 3,130,937)

15-64 years: 51.2% (male 3,491,114/female 3,474,209)

65 years and over: 2.7% (male 155,954/female 207,243) (2007 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.7 years

male: 16.6 years

female: 16.8 years (2007 est.)

Birth rate:42.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate:18.25 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 92.1 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 96.27 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 87.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 42.98 years

male: 43.35 years

female: 42.61 years

(2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate:

11.9% of population

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS:

900,00

HIV/AIDS – deaths:

84,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)

Religions:

Christian 80%, Muslim 13%, other 3%, none 40%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 62.7%

male: 76.1%

female: 49.8% (2003 est.)

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world’s least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 85% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for about one-third of GDP and four-fifths of export revenues.

In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Since 2005 President MUTHARIKA’S government has exhibited improved financial discipline under the guidance of Finance Minister Goodall GONDWE.

GDP – per capita (PPP):

$287 US

GDP – composition by sector:

agriculture: 36.1%

industry: 18.8%

services: 45.1%

(2006 est.)

Labor force:

4.5 million (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

53% (2004)

Sources Include:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malawi

http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Malawi

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mi.html