About Malawi: This small, land-locked East African nation is known by its friendly, welcoming people as “The Warm Heart of Africa”. The era of colonial rule by Great Britain that ended in 1984 accounts for the fact that English has is widely spoken. Most Malawians tend small subsistence farms. The routines of farming and village life have been gravely affected in recent years by the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that 14% of Malawi’s adult population is living with the disease. Extensive treatment and education efforts are beginning to improve the situation, but many challenges remain. Reducing infection rates and improving care are not simply medical issues. Education, religion, traditional gender roles, nutrition, patterns of employment, access to information -- all these issues and many more are distinct strands in the fabric of the HIV/AIDS challenge. Through a combination of informal research, investigation, and hands-on involvement in on-going projects, Global Action Malawi participants come to grips with the complexities involved in responding effectively to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The Project: The program begins with five days in the capital city of Lilongwe, where traditional markets and colorful East African street life mix with formal government buildings, hospitals, and the offices of many international relief organizations. The group visits the National AIDS Commission, smaller public and private clinics, pediatric AIDS facilities, and learns about innovative efforts to improve health through ecologically sensitive agriculture (permaculture). From Lilongwe the group travels southeast to the small community of Domasi. Staying together in very basic accommodations, they join in the routines of a small African village and work directly with local organizations. Activities include joining in health education and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts through the local hospital, nursing school, and youth drop-in center; assisting at Project Concern International’s fisheries project; and discussing challenges and strategies with medical staff, community leaders, relief works, local teenagers, and HIV/AIDS patients. In addition, each student picks an independent project involving direct interaction with the community.

Exploration: From Domasi, the group makes short trips to the Liwonde National Park to see elephants and other big game, and to the beautiful, forested Zomba plateau. For the last few days in Africa the group travels to the Luwawa Forest Preserve where it splits its time between hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking, and engaging in extended discussion of its experiences in preparation for its presentation at Yale.