Living in Lilongwe

Malawi has two main cities; Lilongwe and Blantyre. While Blantyre is the financial and commercial center, the capital Lilongwe is home to parliament and many government bodies. Consequently, it is also the home of charities, international government embassies and NGOs like CHAI.

Despite having a population of around 900 000, Lilongwe has a small-town feel. Or perhaps more precisely, a suburban-sprawl feel. It is difficult to define a central downtown area, but the city can be roughly divided into Old Town and New Town. My house and workplace are both located in New Town, along with Parliament and Capital Hill.

CHAI House #3 (My house)

Our house is in a newer suburb about a five minute drive away from work. Ten minutes away from home is the city center with a number of shopping centers, offices and low rise commercial buildings. It looks roughly like this:

We head to city center for groceries, bank machines and shopping at some of the larger stores such as Game (a South African Wal-Mart) and Mr. Price (a poor-quality clothing store). There are a number of options for grocery shopping, and if you choose the right shop on the right day, you might luck out and find treats like cream cheese and un-melted ice cream. Commercial transportation is not Malawi's strength, especially when you add refrigeration in to the mix. Not surprisingly, we buy boxed milk that comes shelf-stable in 1L tetra packs. While the grocery stores are great for dry staples like pasta and cereal, the main vegetable market is also located near city center and it is the best source for fruits and vegetables in terms price, quality and variety! Yumm!

Veggies at the outdoor market.