About Malawi: Independent since 1964, the former British protectorate of Malawi has long been called the “Warm Heart of Africa”. Farmers in this predominantly rural country tend fields of tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, and tea, and herd cattle and goats. In the last decade, Malawi has suffered greatly from the AIDS epidemic. It is estimated that 14% of its adult population is living with HIV/AIDS, while almost 24% of all pregnant women carry the disease. Long-standing fears and misinformation about HIV infection are gradually giving way to internationally led treatment and education efforts. Though there is progress toward stabilizing infection rates, much work remains to be done. Through a combination of research, investigation, and service projects, Global Action participants come to grips with the challenges a developing nation faces in responding to the AIDS epidemic.

The Project: The group begins its exploration with five days in the capital city of Lilongwe. Founded as a marketing center in 1947, and designated the capital in 1975, Lilongwe is a unique blend of spice and clothing shops, African markets, governmental buildings of the New Town district, diplomatic missions, and the headquarters of many international relief agencies. Here the group’s goal is to develop an accurate picture of the current social, cultural, and economic forces at work in Malawi; a visit to Lilongwe’s 1,000 bed Central Hospital in the morning may be complemented by an afternoon visit to a government-sanctioned witch doctor practicing at the outdoor market on Malangalanga Road.

From Lilongwe, the group moves northeast to the village of Nkhotakota on the shores of Lake Malawi. Nkhotakota is the largest traditionally organized town in Malawi and houses two secondary schools, as well as several community-based HIV/AIDS support organizations. For the next two and half weeks, the group makes its home here, living across the road from one of the two hospital clinics in town, and working with local youth groups to prepare AIDS education workshops, assembling an original radio program for country-wide broadcast, working at the Nkhota-kota Orphans AIDS and Disabled Care Center, and providing non-clinical assistance at the District Hospital. Each student also undertakes an independent project that may include recording oral histories or analyzing family genealogies for vital health statistics.

Exploration: Finally, the group spends a few days in a lodge at the Luwawa Forest Reserve, a few hours north of Lilongwe. Luwawa, the largest planned forest in Africa, provides a dramatic backdrop as students relax, synthesize what they have learned, and prepare to share their experiences with the other Global Action groups back at Yale.