PMC in Malawi

Malawi is a country about half the size of Uganda geographically with a population of almost 17 million located in southeast Africa. HIV/AIDS is a major problem in Malawi. One in ten people are infected. In 2004, President Muzulu revealed that his own brother had died of the disease, which coincided with the launch of a new national initiative to address the AIDS crisis. Response to the HIV/AIDS crisis is hindered by cultural perception of condoms and other reproductive health devices as unnatural and misinformation about the consequences of using contraceptives. Those with the HIV/AIDS are often stigmatized, resulting in people not wanting to know their status or not sharing their status. Poverty also remains a huge barrier to improved health and human rights with 74 percent of the population living below the international poverty line of US $1.25 per day. Population Institute has ranked Malawi the 16th most vulnerable state in their 2015 Demographic Vulnerability Report