What kind of country is Malawi? Introduction about Malawi’s public security, people, environment, food, poverty conditions, and more

The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in East Africa, that borders Tanzania and Rwanda in the north, and Mozambique in the southeast.

Malawi is nicknamed “The Warm Heart of Africa” because it is known to have many warm-hearted people. However, it is also known as one of the least developed countries in the world.

In this article, the Warm Hearts Coffee Club (which handles Malawian coffee), will be introducing what kind of country Malawi is by explaining the country’s nickname, public security, people, language, industry, cuisines, children’s education, the poverty conditions, and more.

1.The Warm Heart Of Africa

Unfortunately, whenever a person thinks of an African country, they tend to think about things with a negative connotation, such as how there are so many wars or that the public security isn’t stable.

However, Malawi is nicknamed “The Warm Heart of Africa” and is known to have people with a warm and friendly personality.

Although there were a few minor disputes after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, there has never been a war in Malawi.

Not only that, the country that the JICA (which is a Japanese agency that’s whole purpose is to support socioeconomic developments of developing countries) has sent the most members to is Malawi. The reason why so many people visit Malawi could be because of the good public security and the kind-hearted people.

2.Malawi’s flag and it’s meaning

The black color in Malawi’s flag represents the African people, the red represents the blood that was shed during the fights for freedom, and the green represents Malawi’s rich nature. Additionally, the rising sun represents Malawi’s development after gaining independence.

3.Malawi’s language

The official languages of Malawi are English and Chichewa. Since it used to be a British territory, English is generally spoken in urban areas and major cities. There are also many other different languages Malawi people speak depending on their region and tribe. For example, in the north, they speak Tongan, in the central and southern regions, they speak Tumbuka, and some tribes speak Yao.

4.Malawi’s natural environment

Malawi is full of beautiful nature and thriving ecosystems. For example, Lake Malawi (which is 1.5 times the size of Shikoku Island, and about 45 times the size of Lake Biwa) which covers 1/5 of Malawi’s territory. The water in Lake Malawi is crystal clear and is home to more than 1000 species of fish. It can also reach a depth of 706 meters, which is the second deepest body of water in Africa, and the sixth deepest in the world. Not only that, Lake Malawi National Park, which is located at the southern end of the lake, is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Because of the size and the white sandy beaches, Lake Malawi looks identical to an ocean. It is known as a resort spot and there are many lodges and hotels to spend your vacation, and places to dive and snorkel as well. Since a lake is nearby, you can also eat delicious seafood dishes. Malawi is also home to many safaris, and was actually the first country to offer rhino safaris in Africa.

Because of the size and the white sandy beaches, Lake Malawi looks identical to an ocean. It is known as a resort spot and there are many lodges and hotels to spend your vacation, and places to dive and snorkel as well. Since a lake is nearby, you can also eat delicious seafood dishes. Malawi is also home to many safaris, and was actually the first country to offer rhino safaris in Africa.

About 200 kilometers south of Lake Malawi is Mt. Mulanje, the highest mountain in Central Africa and the highest point in Malawi. It stands at 3002 meters, which is slightly shorter than Mt. Fuji. Mt. Mulanje is a popular hiking and mountain climbing spot, and there is even a lodge on the mountain.

The trail is not maintained for hiking and climbing so there is a lot of rocky terrain. This means you can climb on natural trails and be able to experience the authentic natural environment.

5.Malawi’s industry

Agriculture, along with the rich natural environment, is the main source of income in Malawi. 90% of workers in Malawi are engaged in agriculture, producing and exporting tea, sugarcane, coffee, and tobacco.

About 90% of the population is also engaged in agriculture, and the independent farmers grow a variety of crops such as maize, beans, rice, cassava, tobacco, and peanuts.
*Cassava: The raw material of tapioca. The Japanese name for this is “taro tree”.

5-1.Malawi’s coffee industry with over 140 years of history

Coffee was first introduced to Malawi in 1878 because Scottish missionaries brought a coffee tree from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh to the southern Blantyre region of Malawi. By the year 1900, coffee became one of Malawi’s most valuable exports, and is now cultivated throughout the country.

The Misuku region, located in northern Malawi, is the most famous production area for coffee. Even though it’s a tropical area, the highlands are relatively cool, creating a temperature difference that is ideal for coffee cultivation. Malawian coffee is not well known in Japan, but it has an established reputation among coffee lovers, and the Warm Hearts Coffee Club handles Malawian coffee. For details of Malawi coffee grown without pesticides, click here.

6.Malawian cuisine

The most common food Malawi people eat is called “nshima”, which is made of maize or cassava that was dried, then turned into powder, then dissolved in hot water, and finally kneaded. Rice is considered a luxurious food for the majority of the population, but is sometimes eaten during the harvest season.

A common Malawian side dish is called “chambo”, which is a national fish you can get at Lake Malawi. “Chambo” is a white meat fish that only exists in Lake Malawi. Similar to red seabream, “chambo” is an exceptional and valuable source of protein. It is often eaten deep-fried, and with “nshima” as shown in the photo. In addition, you can also get a dried fish similar to dried sardines called “usipa” in the mountain regions.

Chicken, goat meat, mutton, beef, and pork simmered with tomatoes and onions are also common side dishes.

Furthermore, many people usually eat two meals a day. For lunch and dinner, Malawi people will eat “nshima” with cooked beans and vegetables, but for breakfast, they tend to eat something very light.

7.The characteristics of Malawi people

Next, we will be talking about the characteristics of Malawi people.
As I mentioned earlier about their warm hearts, many Malawi people are kind and friendly. There are some people who even smile back at you when you have eye contact with them.
Once a Malawi person meets another person, they will talk about their families, or share what happened recently in their lives, or take time to give greetings to one another.
That could be the reason as to why you will see people engaging in friendly conversation often.

Furthermore, in Malawi, everything moves at a slower pace. The speed that Malawi people walk at is said to be half of the speed that Japanese people walk at, and it might even seem like they are walking in slow motion when you first see them.

Because there are so many people that are calm and kind in Malawi, Malawi is ranked as one of the top 10 countries in the section about “The country most likely to help a stranger” in the World Giving Index (A United Kingdom-based charity organization). This perfectly shows the Malawi people’s big hearts.

8.Malawi’s poverty conditions

Although Malawi is a peaceful country with warm and kind-hearted citizens, it is also one of the countries with the worst poverty conditions in the world.
In the Human Development Index from the WFP (World Food Programme) by the United Nations, which measures a country’s average achievements in health, knowledge, and standards of living, Malawi was ranked 172 out of 189 countries. One of the reasons for this is the fact that around 39% of kids under the age of 5 are malnourished.

Around 64% of children in Malawi can’t survive until their 5th birthday, and the main reason for their death is sadly because of malnourishment.
Many families also tend to be in a situation where the husband has to go outside the country to work, while the wife has to take care of the kids and find a job that will only let her earn little money, just so everybody in the family can live. This is why an environment where the living conditions of the family members are better, and where the children can live a peaceful life, is heavily needed.

9.Malawi’s education

The graduation rate of elementary students in Malawi is only 51%.
Since primary education became free in 1994, many children have decided to attend elementary school. However, in order to keep attending school and actually graduate, these students need things such as food and good infrastructure.
Furthermore, in Malawi, where around half of the population is under the age of 14, the number of students far outweighs the number of teachers, leading to there being many problems regarding the school’s treatments towards its students.

10.Supporting Malawi (You can give support even in Japan!)

In order to face and confront these problems that Malawi children face, there is actually an organization that provides food to schools in Malawi from Japan. That organization is called NPO Seibo. NPO Seibo is a non-profit organization that has been active and supporting Malawi since 2015. With help from staff that work in Malawi, NPO Seibo currently gives around 18,000 children lunch every day.

Through this organization, Warm Hearts Coffee Club manages to donate 100% of the earnings from selling Malawian coffees to support giving lunches to students in Malawi. It only costs 15 yen (around 9 cents/euros as of January 6th, 2025) to make one lunch for a Malawi student. This means that if you buy coffee that is worth 1000 yen (around 6 dollars/euros), it will become lunch for around 65 students.

Through having school lunches, students will be more energized and go to school, families won’t have to worry about their children’s lunches, and a new job and way to earn money will appear. Most importantly, helping the children that will become the future of Malawi will contribute to the growth of the country.

Summary

In this article, we shared some basic information about Malawi, the characteristics of Malawi people, the children’s education, and about the poverty conditions. Malawi is indeed one of the least developed countries, and the country has a lot of problems they have to overcome.

On the other hand, the community is very welcoming, there is a strong bond between the people, and everyone naturally helps each other out. We believe there is a lot we can learn from Malawi, such as appreciating every second of our lives, the relationships that are built up on being friendly to one another, and the culture of helping each other out which leads to emotional stability.

Malawian coffee is one of the ways the country of Malawi earns money, but, at the same time, we think it is something the country should be proud of, and a very important agricultural product. The Warm Hearts Coffee Club strives to give delicious support to Malawi through our coffee, which we put our hearts and soul into, while understanding the characteristics of Malawi.