4WD Development

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25 in 30 minutes. 25 four wheel drive pickups and range rovers emblazoned with UNICEF, DFID, USAID, JICA, UNFPA, PACT, World Vision . . . Even the Icelandic Development Agency has two trucks in Lilongwe, and we saw a few in Monkey Bay as well. That means nearly a dollar from each of the 280,000 Icelanders just for the their country's truck stock in Malawi.

OK, so maybe I cheated a little by planting myself at the corner of the South Africa headquartered shop-'til-you-drop superstore, Shoptrite, with a selection to dazzle any development worker, and prices to keep all but the top income decile of Malawians far far away.

But sketchy sampling aside, this place is overrun with development trucks. They wind their way around Lilongwe, and from headquarters to home. Every once in a while, I'm told, they come in handy navigating the roads that lead to rural villages where 80% of Malawians live on annual incomes that would just about cover the price of a pair of new tires for some donor's Range Rover. -stl

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Photos

DEFENDER EU Food Security at Nando
Nando's is the South African food chain that accompanies Shoprite in its creep across southern Africa.

DFID At Shoprite
DFID -- That's the UK's Department for International Development for you non-development types. DFID is behind Malawi's recent 52% wage increase for public health workers. Phew. Maybe now they too can shop at Shoprite.

Even Icelanders Eat at Nando's

Takin' the Kids Shopping at Shoprite