Have you heard of Malawi? I hadn't, either, until about twenty minutes ago when
CNN International did a piece on the growing humanitarian crisis in Malawi. So now, hopefully, you're going to learn a little about it. Then I'll ask you for something, which I don't usually do.
The Republic of Malawi is in the southeastern part of Africa. It's slightly 45,745 square miles in size and has a population of slightly more than 10 million. (Source). In 2004, Malawi reported $503.4 million in exports consisting primarily of tobacco (60%), tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products and apparel. Its residents are primarily Protestant and Catholic with the existence also of some tribal religions. Their official language is English.
Malawi is in crisis and many children are suffering.
Make the jump.
The biggest and most pressing issue is that of food - Malawians are in grave danger of dying of hunger. This serious crisis is compounded by a variety of other factors, however. Approximately 400,000 children under age 15 in Malawi have been orphaned by the African AIDS crisis. These children are primarily cared for by relatives who cannot accommodate the economic and resource strain of additional responsibilities. Malawi also severely lacks medical staff and equipment to deal with both emerging and underlying health issues. The AIDS crisis alone has over-strained the system - the disease crisis created by malnutrition further strains the system in Malawi to the point that it is broken.
I am a big fan of the ONE Campaign. I even did a diary back in August that included the subject of the ONE Campaign. If you're unfamiliar, the ONE Campaign, in part, seeks to hold G-8 leaders accountable and responsible to their adoption of the Millennium Development Goals. Specifically, a commitment was made by all member nations to halve extreme poverty by 2010. Extreme poverty is the underlying cause of the crisis in Malawi. Women and children are the hardest-hit and many, many children will die of simple diseases exacerbated by malnutrition or will die of hunger itself if the international community doesn't respond. We've all heard a lot about "donor fatigue". Last year it was the Tsunami... This year it has been the repeated hurricane damage and disasters. Also in the mix is the Kashmiri earthquake crisis. I know that it's difficult to keep up with who needs what and to have the resources to assist. But I implore you - there are areas of this world that remain largely ignored by Americans simply because they don't know about it. I didn't know about Malawi - but now I do. When I saw the piece on CNN I immediately went to UNICEF and donated some money. If you have any money you can spare - even as little as $5.00 could be the difference between life and death for a child - please, follow the link and help these people.
Update [2005-12-2 14:34:21 by RenaRF]: Kossack tyronen has issued a worth challenged and has offered to personally donate $200.00 if this diary makes the recommended list (comment here). I will also match the donation I made prior to writing the diary - $100.00. Therefore, if people read this, recommend it and take action, at least $300.00 additional dollars will be going to help those who are starving and dying.