Water Essay
BLUE PLANET RUN FUNDING
Project Number: MAL 0443
Name of Project: Engucwini School and Health Clinic Water and Sanitation Project
Location: Engucwini, Malawi – in the Muzuz District
Malawi: The Land, the People and the Economy
Of the 10 million people in Malawi, only half have access to clean, safe drinking water. As a result, water-related diseases such as schistosomiasis (bilharzia) and amoebic dysentery are rampant. Further complicating conditions in this southeast African country is the fact that 50 percent of the population is under the age of 15, only 40 percent are literate, and 90 percent live in rural areas and depend on subsistence farming for survival. According to World Bank estimates, the average income in Malawi is $170 a year.
For several years, drought has affected the subsistence farming lifestyle of most of the population. As a result of a low literacy rate, few people can find other employment to purchase food for their families. AIDS/HIV has invaded the country -- one out of five are HIV positive. Nearly one in four children cannot expect to live beyond the age of five, and every other child displays signs of stunted growth.
Malawi, which shares borders with Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania, is ranked as one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. After 30 years of authoritarian rule, Malawi now has a democratically elected government. But political and economic growth is still slow due to high population growth, low life expectancy, low education levels, increase in the spread of AIDS/HIV, and poor access to health care.
Three years ago, Malawi was chosen as a pilot country because it is a country where NGOs are welcomed and supported by the government. In addition, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other West European countries have all supported Malawi’s development efforts. In fact, Malawi has become a good model of basic development programs, and donor and NGO coordination is strong.
Project Number: MAL 0443
Name of Project: Engucwini School and Health Clinic Water and Sanitation Project
Location: Engucwini, Malawi – in the Muzuz District
Malawi: The Land, the People and the Economy
Of the 10 million people in Malawi, only half have access to clean, safe drinking water. As a result, water-related diseases such as schistosomiasis (bilharzia) and amoebic dysentery are rampant. Further complicating conditions in this southeast African country is the fact that 50 percent of the population is under the age of 15, only 40 percent are literate, and 90 percent live in rural areas and depend on subsistence farming for survival. According to World Bank estimates, the average income in Malawi is $170 a year.
For several years, drought has affected the subsistence farming lifestyle of most of the population. As a result of a low literacy rate, few people can find other employment to purchase food for their families. AIDS/HIV has invaded the country -- one out of five are HIV positive. Nearly one in four children cannot expect to live beyond the age of five, and every other child displays signs of stunted growth.
Malawi, which shares borders with Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania, is ranked as one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. After 30 years of authoritarian rule, Malawi now has a democratically elected government. But political and economic growth is still slow due to high population growth, low life expectancy, low education levels, increase in the spread of AIDS/HIV, and poor access to health care.
Three years ago, Malawi was chosen as a pilot country because it is a country where NGOs are welcomed and supported by the government. In addition, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other West European countries have all supported Malawi’s development efforts. In fact, Malawi has become a good model of basic development programs, and donor and NGO coordination is strong.