If you were to ask the average Amercian where Malawi is, you could venture to say that most people would not know that it's a country in Africa. (This based on how many times we get asked, "where is that?" when we say we are going to Malawi.) If they have heard of Malawi, you could also venture to guess it may be because a certain pop star has put it on the map, so to say, as a result of her recent successful adoption and even more recent attempted adoption that was declined.
Malawi is so much more than a place to adopt a child or a place on the map. As we mentioned in an earlier blog, it's the warm heart of Africa. We have been told that if you visit there, you come back with a hole in your heart, as you leave a little behind. Even though, it ranks as one of the least developed countries and according to some sites/agencies, as the poorest country, the people of Malawi are still warm and friendly. In our monthly team meetings, we are learning more and more about Malawi. Tonight, we met with Bobby M., former CCBC pastor from South Africa who now resides in Franklin, TN and is on staff at TPC and African Leadership. He is a wealth of knowledge and we enjoyed him filling us in on the cultural aspects of Malawi. For example, Malawians are non confrontational, very formal and conservative and are very relational. Their way of life is communal not individual driven. It wouldn't be uncommon for someone in the village to spank your child if they were out of line.
Team meeting with Bobby
Malawi is about 558 miles long and 93 miles wide which is slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. In this small country lives just over 13 million people. They are very religious/spiritual. We were told tonight, by Bobby, that it would be rare to run into an atheist. People believe in a god or the God. Their breakdown in religion is Christian 80%, Muslim 12% and other religion as 8%.
Malawi's climate is subtropical. A rainy season runs from November through April. There is little to no rainfall throughout most of the country from May to October. It is hot and humid from October to April. From June through August, the lake areas and far south are comfortably warm, but the rest of Malawi can be chilly at night, with temperatures ranging from 41°–57°F.
The facts so far have been informational, but what about the more alarming statistics?
- Life expectancy is 43 years.
- 16% of the people have HIV.
- 70% of hospital deaths are related to HIV/AIDS.
- Nearly a third of expectant mothers pass the virus on to the baby.
- Literacy rate is 63 %.
- 34% of children ages 4-14 are a part of some sort of modern day slavery.
- Minimum wage is under $1 per day.
Our hearts yearn already for these people, and we haven't even met them. Please continue to pray for our mission trip, as we expect that we will encounter spiritual warfare as soon as we step off the plane. Thank you and God bless!
.JPG)
