Malawi

Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. Population: 10,548,250

Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Climate: sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

Religions: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs

Economy: Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world’s least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 37% of GDP and 85% of export revenues. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program.

Currency: Malawian kwachas per US dollar - 80.0946 (December 2000)

HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS Information): Estimated Adults with HIV, end of 2001 – 780,000 (fifteen percent). Estimated number of orphans under age 15 at the end of 2001 – 470,000.

Rafiki children line up for school

ROS serving in Malawi
Donna and Ed Bland
Elin and Paul Klauke
Bonnie and Ralph Marron
Deb Needham
Darlene and David Schaffer