Malawi debt crisis deepens as cuts hurt

BEHIND a dimly lit bar in Malawi's capital, Ben Manda rubbed his tired eyes and poured a customer a drink. He had been working for 36 hours straight, packing in back-to-back shifts to feed his family of four.

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“T haven't been home in three days,” said the 32-year-old barman in a run-down club in Mtandire, one of Lilongwe’ largest and most crowded informal settlements. “Times are tough”

Manda is a casualty of Malawi's economic struggles, his livelihood hanging by a thread as foreign aid cuts and mounting national debt tighten their grip on his destitute African country.

A small television above the bar flickered with news reports of budget shortfalls, unpaid salaries, and a spiralling cost of living.

“The problem is that our leaders divert the money from its intended use,” Manda said, accusing the political leadership of misusing foreign aid.

The country of 21 million people ~ more than two-thirds of whom live in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank - has for decades been dependent on foreign aid.