Mwandi

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'''Mwandi''' is a small town on the Zambezi in the district of the same name<ref name="Provinces and Districts">Mposhi, K. Zambia: Administrative Division (Provinces and Districts) - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts. Citypopulation.de (2017). at https://www.citypopulation.de/php/zambia-admin.php</ref> of the Western Province in Zambia. The town is 120 km west of Livingstone, on the M10 Road to Sesheke.<ref name="Missionawards">MWANDI UCZ MISSION Area Info. Mwandi-mission.awardspace.com at <http://mwandi-mission.awardspace.com/Areainfo.html></ref> The village is part of the region known as Barotseland. The town is the seat of a parliamentary constituency of the same name.<ref>List of Constituencies by Province | National Assembly of Zambia. (2017). Parliament.gov.zm. Retrieved 9 March 2017, from http://www.parliament.gov.zm/members/constituencies</ref>

== Etymology == Mwandi means "plenty of fish" in the Silozi language.<ref name="CMMB">Mwandi, Zambia - CMMB. CMMB (2017). at <https://cmmb.org/champs-community/mwandi-zambia/></ref>

== Religion == The United Church of Zambia maintains a large mission at Mwandi. In addition, local traditional tribal beliefs continue to be practised.<ref name="Missionawards"/>

== Facilities == The hospital is the Mwandi Mission Hospital, which is listed as a Level 1 Hospital by the Zambian Ministry of Health.<ref name = "MoH">Ministry of Health (Zambia). 2012 List of Health Facilities in Zambia. (Ministry of Health of Zambia, 2013).</ref> The hospital is one of the village's largest employers.<ref name="CMMB"/> The village is close to the Shackleton Tiger Fishing Lodge,<ref>Shackletons Tiger Fishing Lodge | Participant | Open Africa - Do Travel Differently. Openafrica.org (2016). at http://www.openafrica.org/experiences/route/107-south-barotse-trails-route/participant/2656-shackletons-tiger-fishing-lodge</ref> a popular tourist destination for fishing for tigerfish named after Robert Millner Shackleton.

== Population == Approximately 8,000 people live in the village proper.<ref name = "Kamba">Kamba, L. Mwandi Community : Mwandi Christian Hospital. Mwandimission.org (2017). at <http://mwandimission.org/our-patients/></ref> They are semi-nomadic cattle herders and fishermen. Infrastructure is poor, and electricity and clean water are not readily available, though recent development efforts have begun to change that. Most people live on less than $1.00 per day. The people are largely of the Lozi ethnicity, though there are also some people here of European descent. The area around the village includes anywhere from 25,000<ref name="CMMB"/> to 33,000<ref name = "Magri">Magri, A. Mwandi village, the location of Home for AIDS Orphans. Homes4aidsorphans.com (2016). at <http://www.homes4aidsorphans.com/about/mwandi-village.html></ref> people.

== Culture == The village is a centre of traditional Barotse culture, housing the Kuta council, which adjudicates disputes and legislates on issues related to the tribal people of Sesheke District.<ref name = "Magri"/>

== Health == Mwandi, like all of Sesheke District, is in an area with a very high (>300/1000) incidence of malaria.<ref>Zambia [Internet]. World Health Organization; 2016. Available from: http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/country-profiles/profile_zmb_en.pdf</ref> As road infrastructure has improved, HIV has also spread to the village.<ref name = "Kamba"/> The village is the site of a large health centre (the Mwandi Mission Hospital) which serves both its people, and the surrounding area. Average life expectancy as estimated by the United Nations is 59 years.<ref name = "CMMB"/>

== Notable individuals from Mwandi == * Chief Inyambo Yeta IV of the Barotse Royal Establishment * Dan Van Zyl, co-director of the Home for AIDS Orphans, a registered nonprofit which provides a variety of services in Mwandi<ref>Magri, A. About Home for AIDS Orphans. Homes4aidsorphans.com (2016). at <http://www.homes4aidsorphans.com/about/about.html></ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Populated places in Western Province, Zambia Category:Zambezi River