Malawi Facts

(Katherine and Derek)

Bananas-sold by the bunch! Malawians like them yellow, but Derek insists on eating the green ones!

This weekend, we had the privilege of having dinner with two of the diocesan workers: Bernard Mainga, the Secretary of the Anglican Diocese of Northern Malawi, and Betha, the coordinator for diocesan women’s organizations. We have really enjoyed spending time with our new friends and learning more about life in Malawi. For this post, we hope to share some of what we have learned with you via list.

1. Minimum wage for a laborer in Malawi is 550 Malawi Kwacha PER DAY (approximately 1.20 USD).

·         2. Primary and secondary school is not compulsory. Public primary school is free, but neither public nor private secondary school is free.

·         3. Marriageable age for a Malawian woman is 18, though many marry illegally at an earlier age. Dowries are common practice in northern Malawi though not southern.

·         4. Men and woman are viewed as equals by most Malawians.

·         5. In some areas of northern Malawi, men can have more than one wife.

·        6.  It is always banana season in Malawi!

·         7. Malawi has a suitable climate for growing nearly every crop:

°         Rice

°         Corn

°         Sugar cane

°         Wheat

°         Bananas

°         Papayas

°         Avocado

°         Mango

°         Tomatoes

°         Cabbage

°         Potatoes

°         Sweet potatoes

°         Coconut

°         Oranges

°         Onions

°         Peppers

°         Egg plant

°         Peas

°         Green beans

°         Cherries

°         Apples

°         Sorghum

°         Cassava

°         Pineapples

°         Coffee

°         Tea

°         Tobacco

°         Cotton

°         Peanuts

°         Okra

°         Rubber

°         All varieties of fish and meat

·         8. Malawi has its own electricity grid and doesn’t connect with any other country. It produces mostly hydroelectric power.

·       9.  You must buy electricity units in advance of using any electricity in your residence/office/etc. so running out is common. (Rather than using and then paying a bill.)

·         10. Malawi does not produce a drop of oil. All oil is imported.

·         11. Lake Malawi is known for a type of fish called Chambo. Chambo is also the name of the boat we will ride to Likoma Island.

·         12. Many roads in Michigan are equally as bumpy as Malawian roads. Pot-holes…

·         13. Malawian women carry their babies on their backs by tying them there with a piece of colorful cotton cloth while they work.

·         14. Malawi suffers from “brain drain,” a common phenomenon in developing states whereby young people leave the country to study in another state and then do not return to work in their home state.

·         15. It is common for Malawian children to live with their parents until the age of 26.

·         16. Malawians are a docile people and do not participate much in political activism.