Partners In Health's (PIH) provides health care to poor communities in Haiti, Rwanda, Peru, Russia, Lesotho, Malawi, and the US. In Malawi, PIH serves over 100,000 people, combining the treatment of HIV with comprehensive, community-based health care for the wider community and addressing needs such as hunger, access to clean water, decent housing, education, and livelihoods. The Gulu la anthu Oluka (which means "knitting group" in Chichewa) women's co-operative was launched in June of 2008 in collaboration with PIH's Program on Social and Economic Rights (POSER). POSER is a pillar of PIH's work around the world, demonstrating their recognition of the link between health and poverty. In Malawi, POSER's activities include vocational training, nutritional and agriculture support, adult literacy courses, support of community-based childcare centres, school support, and patient housing. Gulu la Anthu Olka supports women living with HIV and AIDS in Malawi by providing them with income generating opportunities so that they can afford basic needs such as food, shelter, and children's school fees. Six of the seven women in this coorperative are HIV-positive, and one is affected by polio. The group includes several former commercial sex workers who are seeking an alternative means of income generation to support themselves and their families; other member of the co-op are widows and women caring for children who have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. The earnings from the hats will help these women to buy food, send their children to school, and move towards financial independence.

Malawian Knitwear

Each knit and crochet item is handcrafted by a woman from the Gulu la anthu Oluka cooperative in Neno, Malwai. The cooperative includes former commercial sex workers seeking an alternative means of income, HIV-positive women, widows, those suffering from polio, and women caring for children orphaned by AIDS.

Region: Southern Africa

Capital: Lilongwe

Population: 14,268,711 (2009)

Size: Slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Independence: July 1964 (from the United Kingdom)

Currency: Malawian kwacha

Languages: Chicewa is the official language, spoken by 57.2% of the population (1998)

Literacy Rate: 62.7%

Education: Education spending is relatively large in Malawi; 5.8% of GDP and 24.6% of government expenditures in 2004 were spent on education. Malawi spends a greater percentage of GDP on education than the United States. Still, there is room for improvement; while youth literacy has risen from 59% to 76% over the last decade, it still leaves Malawi ranked 152^nd in the world.

Primary School Enrollment Rate: 95% (2004)

Life Expectancy: Male, 44.07 years; Female 43.57 (2009)

Infant Mortality Rate: 89.05 deaths/1,000 births (2007)

HIV Prevalence Rate: 11.7% (2007)

National Poverty Rate: 65.4% (1990-2004)

Population living on less than $2 a day: 62.9% (1990-2004)

Population living on less than $1 a day: 20.8% (1990-2004)

Access to clean drinking water: 73% (2004)

Access to proper sanitation: 61% (2004)

All statistics from CIA World Factbook 2007 & UNDP Human Development Report 2006