Brief Introduction about Malawi

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Description provided by Habitat for Humanity:

Malawi is a country of immense beauty, yet also of extreme poverty. The country is rated as one of the least developed countries in the world. 90 percent of its population lives in rural areas.

The economy is predominately agricultural and is dependent on substantial international assistance. Because of the widespread poverty, four out of five families live in substandard homes, with little hope of ever being able to afford a decent house. A typical village hut is built of mud and daub with a dirt floor and thatched roof and requires frequent repair. The conditions put families at high risk of all kinds of diseases, with leaky roofs making the house damp and mud floors attracting insects.

The number of orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi has increased from 937,000 in 2001 to 1,400,000 in 2010, representing a 66 percent grown in less than a decade.

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