Hello, Malawi!

Hello, all. Welcome to the official Well-Wisher Global blog! Whether you've joined the cause or have no clue what it's about, the first thing you should know is that THIS IS NOT FOR US. You can read our Vision in the previous post, but concisely put, we are for music and its potential for change. In our case, we will be channeling the power of melodies into CDs which will pass all profits towards the cause. This year, our focus is on MALAWI, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa that lacks one of the basic elements of human survival- clean water. 

Why Malawi? Well, for starters, more than a third of the country is in need of clean, drinkable water and about 80% are afflicted by diseases directly caused by contamination. Yes, HIV and AIDS are also huge issues in Malawi. While Well-Wisher isn't trying to ignore its magnitude, we are not doctors; we are a youth who practice and enjoy music. As they say, use what you have, and we believe our tunes will carry further in our purpose.

So without further ado, here is a brief introduction to the country that is Malawi. It's different to view Africa as a multifaceted continent, rather than the seemingly solid shade AIDS and poverty have colored it. But if we can start with one place, we are capable of reaching many.

The Republic of Malawi

according to the CIA World Factbook:

• Malawi is 118,480 sq km, slightly smaller than Pennsylvania. Water covers about 20%.
  
• Unlike the U.S., Malawi has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to set carbon emission caps to reduce global warming 
  
• The median age for both men and women is around 16 years.
  
• Nearly one million people currently live with AIDS in Malawi.
  
• Major diseases caused by polluted water: diarrhea (which leads to malnutrition), hep A, typhoid fever
  
• 79.9% are Christian.
  
• Next to English, the national language is Chichewa.
  
• Malawi became independent from the UK on July 6, 1964.
  
• There are still disputes with neighboring Tanzania on the borders of Lake Nyasa, the largest source of freshwater in the region. 
  

For more on Malawi and the water crisis:

• Lonely Planet: Malawi
• African Studies Center at UPenn- Malawi
• World Health Organization on Malawi
• RaisingMalawi.org - nonprofit created by Madonna
• The Daily Times - Malawi's daily newspaper
• Water For People - organization bringing attention to the international water crisis
• IRIN Africa: Malawi - from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Please leave comments and any feedback on the site. Again, thanks for visiting and we hope to see more involvement in aiding the water crisis around the world.