Malawi is a country in Africa. It is slightly larger in square mileage than Pennsylvania with a population around 18 million (2016) which is a little bit under California's current population size.

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The region of Malawi was colonized by the British before gaining independence and creating a democratic, multi-party government.

 

Malawi is among the world's least-developed countries. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population. The Malawian government depends heavily on outside aid to meet development needs, although this need (and the aid offered) has decreased since 2000 according to BBC News.

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The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. Malawi’s HDI value for 2017 was 0.477— which put the country in the low human development category— positioning it at 171 out of 189 countries and territories.

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Frying is a popular method of cooking of street food in Malawi, which is why we expect a higher rate of adoption of the solar cooker once the target community knows they can use it for traditional dishes. While we did consider the health implications of encouraging frying, we feel it is inappropriate to impose our views on health to the communities in Malawi. 

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