Malawi At a Glance

 

Country Information

  • Malawi derives its name from the Maravi, a Bantu people who came from the southern Congo basin circa 1400
  • Malawi is situated in southeastern Africa. It is a landlocked, densely populated country and is bordered by Zambia to the north-west, Tanzania to the north and Mozambique, which surrounds it on the east, south and west.
  • There are three regions-the Northern, Central and Southern , which are further divided into twenty-seven districts, which in turn are further divided into 137 traditional authorities and 68 sub-chiefdoms
  • Official Languages: English and Chichewa
  • Malawi has a population of approximately 13 million
  • Lilongwe is the capital
  • Its economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. Malawi has few exploitable mineral resources. Its three most important export crops are (in order) tobacco, tea and sugar.
  • 87% of the human population in Malawi lives in rural areas; 13% live in the urban centers.
  • 45% of Malawi’s population is children under the age of five years old.

 

Poverty

  • With an income of about US$160 per capita and a Human Development Index ranking of 165 out of 177 countries, Malawi is among the poorest, least developed countries in the world.
  • An estimated 65% of rural and 55% of urban populations is living in extreme poverty (below US$ 1per day).

 

Health & HIV/AIDS

  • The infant, child and maternal mortality rates are amongst the 20 highest in the world.
  • Life expectancy has decreased from 45 years of age (1995) to 37 (2005).
  • 48% of the children under the age of five years are chronically malnourished.
  • 85% of the population in Malawi lives at least 8km from a functioning health facility; some Malawians live more than 14km from the nearest health facility.
  • Everyday averages of 267 people become infected with the HIV virus.
  • AIDS related infections account for 235 deaths daily.
  • Currently, 760,000 adults living in Malawi are infected with HIV/AIDS; 58% of whom are women.
  • There are approximately 70,000 HIV positive children under the age 15 in the country.
  • Increasing levels of poverty and the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic have contributed to the high number of orphaned children, of which there are currently an estimated 1,050,000 in Malawi

 

Orphaned and Vulnerable Children

  • The rights of orphans and vulnerable children are routinely abused.
  • Malawi’s orphans and vulnerable children face problems including lack of food, shelter, clothing, access to education, clean water and sanitation, psycho-social support, and basic health services. In addition, many children whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS are exposed to stigmatization and discrimination as well as economic and sexual exploitation.
  • Malawi’s extended family system, as well as its community and faith-based organizations, provide the majority of support and care initiatives for orphans and vulnerable children. However, these frontline caregivers are reaching their saturation point as the numbers of orphans and vulnerable children in the community are steadily increasing.
  • A key additional challenge in Malawi is the inadequacy of coordination and absence of accurate data on the numbers and characteristics on orphans and vulnerable children. Few families and communities are aware of what they can access or how to access support to meet the needs of the many orphans.