Where is Thyolo?

Thyolo is a tea-growing area about 45km south of Blantyre, the biggest city in the south of Malawi, Eastern Africa.

On undulating hills, brilliant green tea plantations are interspersed with the small homes of the plantation workers. In the distance rises magnificent Mount Mulanji, and beyond that, Mozambique.

The 1715sq.km district has a population of almost 630,000 out of a total of 12.7 million for the whole of Malawi. But the scourge of HIV/AIDS blighted this beautiful place - 23% of the population is infected.

As a result, there are a huge number of orphans, with over 33,300 now registered with the Thyolo District Social Welfare Office.