Ekwendeni

Ekwendeni is a town in the Northern Region of Malawi. It lies about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Mzuzu, in the Mzimba district.

Ekwendeni was started by Scottish missionaries. It has one of the oldest churches in Malawi belonging to the Malawi equivalent of the Church of Scotland. The hospital began in the 1890s as a ministry of the Free Church of Scotland. It is operated by the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian (CCAP) - Synod of Livingstonia, in partnership with PC(USA), the Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church of Ireland.[1]

The people of Ekwendeni have Tumbuka as the dominant language but other languages are spoken due to the high numbers of people from other parts of Malawi settling there. Ekwendeni has a college of nursing, college of commerce and technical training school.

The people settled at Ekwendeni come from different districts and from different countries. They normally come because of the hospital and to teach at the theological college.

Ekwendeni is largely surrounded by tobacco growing farms. It has a high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates mainly because it is a favourite resting place for truck drivers travelling between Malawi and its northern neighbour, Tanzania, Kenya and beyond.

Ekwendeni is also booming with small businesses. Donors are also helping a lot in the development of this area. Ekwendeni has beautiful surroundings which make the area a good destination for tourists.

Soon Ekwendeni will have a community radio, funded by donors.