Malawi
Republic of Malawi
Africa
Geography Area: 118,484 sq km
Central African state extending along Lake Malawi and its outflow river, the Shire. A landlocked nation whose southern half is virtually an enclave within Mozambique.
Population: 15,691,784 Annual Growth: 2.82%
Capital: Lilongwe
Urbanites: 19.8%
HDI Rank: 160 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 33 (12% unreached)
Official language: Chichewa and English Languages: 24
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian
|
Religion |
|
Pop % |
Ann Gr |
| Christians | 11,925,756 | 76.00 | 3.0 |
| Evangelicals | 3,069,243 | 19.6 | 2.9 |
Challenges for Prayer
AIDS has been a terrible scourge. Life expectancy was reduced at one point to age 43, and over 1 million are infected with HIV. AIDS is the leading cause of death for those aged 20 to 49 years. The 15- to 24-year olds are most affected; within this group, females account for more than twice as many cases as males. There are over 500,000 AIDS orphans. Pray also for the “Why Wait” programme, which in the fight against HIV/AIDS educates teachers and others on the blessings of abstinence before marriage. Anti-retro viral treatments are available and effective, but the social stigma remains. Pray that churches might be better equipped and envisioned to face AIDS with effective ministries; SU and SCOM/IFES work among students and teachers in this area.
The CCAP (Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian) is the largest Protestant denomination and the direct fruit of the vision of 19th Century explorer David Livingstone. It is a union of the churches planted by the South African Dutch Reformed Church, the Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland. Pray for revival as nominalism and the influence of African traditional religion are commonplace, yet there are also many strong evangelical leaders and congregations. Pray for unity within this diverse denomination, and for many to come to genuine faith within the framework of the CCAP.
