Most Malawians survive on subsistence farming. They grow just enough maize and beans to feed their family. The women dehusk the maize, dry it, soak it, then take it to the local maize mill where it is ground to a fine power. This powder is laid out in the sun to dry, and store it, awaiting cooking. Cooking is done over firewood, which is usually collected locally, often by cutting down local trees.
Dress is conservative - your knees must be covered and you must wear a shirt at all times. Except in Blantyre and Lilongwe, women wear long skirts, not trousers.
When they are not farming, days are filled with washing clothes, resting and 'chatting'. Just like other African countries, music, singing and dancing are an important part of life in Malawi. When a group of Malawians are sitting or walking together, it is not unusual for one of them to start singing. Another will join in, harmonising with the first. Someone else may pick up a stick and start tapping it. They will often dance while singing.
Few children complete primary school and even fewer complete secondary school. Children help with farming and you will often see young children on the side of the road, nursing babies, and selling things such as mushrooms in mushroom (the wet) season. They use the money to buy soap, as they are often sent home from school if they are not wearing a clean school uniform. The Malawian government has a school feeding programme, which entices children to school.
