Poverty undermines children's development

The poor are vulnerable to a host of shocks and hazards. These include droughts that comes in cycles of three to five years, yearly floods and storms, and man-made hazards such as economic shocks, and HIV and AIDS. Malawi's dependence on natural resources and rain-fed agriculture makes the country particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Poverty undermines children's development

Since the early 1990s, Malawi, a landlocked and predominantly agricultural and rural nation, has ranked amongst the world's 20 least developed countries on the Human Development Index. More than half of the population (52 percent) lives on less than USD $ 0.32 a day. This includes around four million children living in poverty. Moreover, one in every five Malawians lives in ultra poverty or on less than USD $0.20 US cents a day and cannot afford to feed themselves. Poverty hits children the hardest and threatens their most basic rights to survival, health and nutrition, education, participation and protection from harm and exploitation.

The poor are vulnerable to a host of shocks and hazards. These include droughts that comes in cycles of three to five years, yearly floods and storms, and man-made hazards such as economic shocks, and HIV and AIDS. Malawi's dependence on natural resources and rain-fed agriculture makes the country particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

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