This information came from a variety of sources; one of which is the CIA website. Also, it may be slightly outdated at this point...but it was accurate at the time we first traveled there.
* Malawi is landlocked below Tanzania, next to Zambia and Mozambique.
* It is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania with a population of approximately 14 million people; Pennsylvania has approximately 13)* On July 6, 1964 Malawi gained independence from British rule and was named Nyasaland (Nyasa means lake) its name was later changed to Malawi.* Lake Malawi is approximately the size of Vermont, takes up 1/3 of the country and is th 9th larges lake in the world.
* 1 in 5 children in Malawi dies before their 5th birthday
* 49% of children are malnourished
* 40% of deaths of 2 year olds are malaria related
* Malawi is the 7th poorest country in the world. For human development it is ranked by the United Nations at 151 out of 162 countries.
* Over 14% of the Malawi population is living with HIV/AIDS
* 55% of the population lives below the poverty line. Life expectancy is 52 years old, which is an increase from the previous life ecpenctancy of 36 years.
* Over 1 million children in Malawi are without a parent, home or education and most are orphans due to an AIDS related death of their parents.
* The literacy rate is 58% total: 72.8% male and 43.4% female.
This is just some of the information that we learned about the country after our first visit. This last one, in addition to our experience visiting the schools, was what set our mission in motion.
