Malnutrition, infection and disease are rampant in Malawi, Africa. Medical care is inaccessible to millions of people living in extreme poverty. Malawi ranks among the world’s least developed countries.
In this context, HPIC is working with NGO Lifeline Malawi Association to provide health care for children, women and men who would otherwise suffer needlessly, including thousands of orphans devastated by the loss of parents due to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.
Malawi
Situated in South Eastern Africa, the small country of Malawi is known as "The warm heart of Africa." Despite the friendliness of the people, the majority live under the enormous multiple burdens of poverty and disease.
Malawi is a country that is struggling on many levels: it has one of the highest infection rates of HIV/AIDS, an exploding population with limited land, hunger, and desperate poverty. Malawi’s population of over 14 million lives in an area one sixth the size of Alberta.
The country relies heavily on agriculture, with 85 per cent of the population living in rural areas. The life expectancy of people born today in Malawi is 46 years, compared to 80 years in Canada and the U.S. The median age is 16, compared to our 38.
The health statistics of Malawi are some of the worst in the world:
- HIV/AIDS infection rate over 12 per cent, including 1/3 of the young adult population
- There are one million orphans, many who have lost both parents to AIDS
- 1 in 8 children will die before their fifth birthday
- Malawi has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in Africa (807 deaths per 100,000 live births)
- More than 46 per cent of the children in Malawi are malnourished
- More than 50 per cent of the population of Malawi is under the age of 15
Lifeline Malawi
Lifeline Malawi is an NGO that serves the rural poor of Malawi through a community-based medical clinic model.
The work of Lifeline Malawi was begun in 1998 when Dr. Chris Brooks of Calgary moved to Africa with his family. When he arrived, there were mission groups working in the area, but health conditions and medical needs of the local Yao tribe were desperate. There were no medical personnel nor was there access to medicine.
Lifeline Malawi established its first medical outreach in the lakeshore community of Ngodzi, where there were no medical facilities, clean water or even sufficient food. Ngodzi is a rural community of 40,000 people, 100km southeast of the capital city of Lilongwe.
Since that time, LM has grown into a project that employs more than 100 staff in its two hospitals in Ngodzi and Kasese, each with its own maternity clinic. LM also operates a maize mill, community health education programs, as well as hygiene, safe water and sanitation programs.
Besides Dr. Brooks and one other Canadian, the rest of the staff are Malawians who are dedicated to helping their fellow citizens, particularly in delivering rural based medicine.
In a recent e-mail to HPIC, George Mkondiwa, Chairman of the Board of Lifeline Malawi and Principle Secretary for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, explained that “Lifeline Malawi is now part and parcel of the Malawi health delivery system.
“On behalf of the Government of Malawi, I wish to thank Health Partners International of Canada for providing Lifeline Malawi with thousands of dollars of donated medicines each year.”
HPIC and Lifeline Malawi
HPIC has been delivering medical aid to Lifeline Malawi regularly since 2003. Eighteen separate shipments providing free medicine and medical supplies for the treatment of patients who cannot pay for health care has impacted the health and outlook of individuals and communities
As more and better health care is made available to this population, people learn to consult doctors rather than traditional healers. Because the medicine is free, they do not wait until it is too late before seeking treatment. Children and expectant and nursing mothers are given the building blocks of health through proper nutrition, ante- and post-natal care and proper follow up.
LM reached another milestone in 2009. A note on the website reads: “Even for us it was an amazing achievement when we read in black and white that we had served over 200,000 patients during 2009. Through medical clinics, outreaches, HIV/AIDS programs and our maternity clinics, and with your support, we have helped to change literally thousands of lives.”
The work of Lifeline Malawi, assisted by HPIC, is helping to ensure a more hopeful future for thousands of underprivileged people and their communities.
