Malawi

Canada's Commitment
Results
Country Profile

Canada's Commitment

Throughout their 40-year relationship, dating back to Malawi's independence in 1964, Canada has provided official development assistance to Malawi.

CIDA's programming is aimed to assist Malawi to create a healthy, educated and productive human resource base. The Malawi Country Program Delivery Strategy (1998-2008) outlines the country-specific programming in the areas of:

• education;
• health;
• gender equality; and
• governance.

The focus on these priorities will enhance Malawi's ability to respond to new global challenges.

Aside from bilateral programming, CIDA also funds industrial cooperation, institutional cooperation, voluntary sector,Pan-African and multilateral programs in Malawi. For example, CIDA and its Multilateral Branch provided funds through the World Food Program, in response to the regional drought affecting much of Southern Africa, including Malawi.

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Results

Here is a sampling of the Malawi Program results:

Basic Education

• CIDA's education program has assisted the government in renewing the primary school curriculum, in improving the procurement processes for educational materials, and in helping to procure more than nine million textbooks, half of which have already been distributed nationwide.

Health/HIV/AIDS

• CIDA's HIV/AIDS Program Support project helped ensure that anti-retroviral therapy sites did not run out of anti-retrovirals (formerly a recurring problem), and that country coverage of HIV/AIDS counselling and testing increased significantly. The number of people receiving anti-retroviral therapy increased from 4,000 in 2003 to more than 100,000 in 2007.
• Some 38,925 households now have access to new or rehabilitated potable water sources.

Governance

• The Project for Economic Governance has contributed significantly to in-country demand for government financial accountability through training on the budget review process of parliamentarians, civil society organizations, and media.

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Country Profile

Malawi is a small, landlocked country in Southern Africa, with a population of 12 million, whose largely agricultural economy-composed mainly of tobacco, sugar and tea-depends on appropriate weather conditions and is susceptible to fluctuating international prices. Malawians are worse off than they were in the 90^s in terms of social indicators and food/social security. Exceptionally high maternal and infant mortality rates demonstrate this fact starkly. HIV/AIDS poses an additional burden on the crumbling, inadequate and sadly under-resourced medical care system. More than 15% of the adult population is infected with HIV/AIDS.

Despite negative factors, such as the declining life expectancy rate for Malawians, the Government of Malawi is committed to an optimistic poverty reduction strategy which will guide them until the year 2010. Malawi Vision 2020 states that the country will be "secure, ecologically balanced, democratically mature, environmentally sustainable, self-reliant with equal opportunities for and active participation by all, having social services, vibrant cultural and religious values and technologically driven" by the year 2020.

Political and economic progress has been made. Since 1994, following peaceful democratic elections, fundamental human rights are commonly respected and a high degree of judicial independence has been demonstrated. Finally, there has been increased spending on health and education.