A little about Lilongwe and Malawi

After our successful meeting yesterday, we realized that we needed to replenish our knitting supplies.  So, today we went to the shops in the heart of Old Town again to get more yarn and needles.  This also allowed us to strengthen our relationships with the vendors.  We spent the remaining part of the day putting together informational handouts for the next meeting we will have with the support group on Saturday.  

            In addition to sharing what we did today, I also want to provide a little insight about the city and community here.  Lilongwe is the capital and the largest city in Malawi.  While many people work in the city, most of the population resides in rural areas or villages further from the city center. The country's economy is based mainly on agriculture, and some of the major crops produced are maize, tobacco, and sugar cane.  Due to this, maize is used to make the staple food “nsima” and sugar cane is sold on the corner of every street.

Unfortunately, there is much room left for development here as can be seen by the lack of infrastructure, level of education, the value of the currency, health issues, and low per capita income.  However, the attitudes of the people here are the most positive and friendly, and the community is very utilitarian and conservationist.  Everything, which is possible to reuse here, is!  Also, the area endures little conflict and the rule of law is appreciated here.  Many steps are taken to discourage stealing and and promote proper behavior and locals will defend those being mistreated.  We were on a bus the other day, and, by bus, I mean a mid-sized van filled to the brim with people almost sitting on each other’s laps!  The man beside me took my bag, and the person we were travelling with, the taxi driver, and the men who oversee all the taxi drivers protested that he give the bag back and finally led him off the bus. 

            In the city, English is widely spoken, although a limited amount, but outside of the city the majority of people are uneducated, can’t speak English, and some cannot write.  The latter is true for most of the women we work with in the support group.  That in no way deters them, though, as they have an amazing work ethic and great attitudes!

            As for religion, the country is predominantly Christian but there is also a significant Muslim population.  The role of religion is very significant here.  It is very common here to see signs and clothing that display the name of Jesus, some meetings begin and end with a prayer, most schools and clinics are religiously affiliated, there are numerous missionaries working here, and we hear the call to prayer from the Mosque nearby several times a day.

            Hope that gives you an idea of what it is like here and feel free to post any questions you have!