In 2001-2002 in Malawi there were some local floods causing one of the biggest famine of the last years. Consequently to that 500-1000 people died and 20.000 more died due to the malnutrition linked to the disaster: maize price increased and people had to decrease their meals, to take back children from schools sending him to work, they looked for casual labours and try to sell household effects. They also even started to eat seeds used in agriculture.
In 2005 a new drought in the country caused the same problems for 4, 7 million people, more than one third of Malawi population.
Also 50 years before, in 1949, there was a hard drought. But in that case Malawian males working abroad, overall in South Africa mines, sent funds to their families and they could overcome. Malawian males used to emigrate to South Africa till 90’s; there they could earn more than in their own country but they learnt bad habits too, like drinking beer after work and getting drunk. Then the work demand in South Africa ceased and Malawian males didn’t emigrate anymore due to the foreign policies of both countries too. After these new famines, women usually employed in harvest work, started to look for ganyu. Ganyu is a short duration casual labors contracts, usually paid in cash or food. It started in Malawi at the beginning of last century, but now, due to the famine, women had to look for ganyu far from their house. The work consisted in housework, agricultural works… but now the owners want something more… Sexual services are often required and this kind of sex should be distinguished by prostitution: prostitutes can impose safe sex to their clients while the ganyu worker has less power. Additionally Malawian men use to get drunk, as they learnt working abroad, so they don’t think about sexual diseases…Consequently if in 1985 HIV prevalence in Malawi was of 2%, in 2002 prevalence of adults increased to 14,4% and due to these sexual behaviors it is going to increase more. Every year 80.000 people die of AIDS and 110.000 are infected. Expectations say that climate change will cause a temperature increasing of 2-3° Celsius during the next 40 years, with a precipitations decrease. It will cause a 10% reduction of Malawian maize and consequently casual labours like ganyu will be even more pursued. And, of course, HIV prevalence will increase.
It’s easy to understand how neither one of the Millennium Development Goals have been respected in the situation described above: 1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger but they have to eat agricultural seeds, 2)Achieve universal primary education but they need to take back children from schools, 3)Promote gender equality and empower women but women can t decide neither about safe sex, 4)Reduce child mortality but children mortality increased after the famine, 5) Improve maternal health and 6) Combat HIV AIDS malaria and other diseas are not respected as we wrote before, 7) Ensure environmental sustainability is perhaps the only goal respected in this situation, 8 ) Develop a global partnership for development but western countries started to help Malawy two years after the famine… when a lot of people were already died…
