Phalombe

Phalombe is a town approx. 40 km Northeast from Mulanje in southern Malawi.

It is situated below the gap between the two larger parts of the Mulanje massif. This is called the fort Lister gap. Due to this location it is vulnerable for so-called flash floods, which can easily occur during the rainy season. The most devastating one in recent history occurred in 1991, which left the village with a 2-3 m high mud layer and killed hundreds of people. On this spot a monument was erected to remember the named and unnamed victims. unfortunately a lot of buildings are still in the same path of this flash flood. 5 km from the village is a Catholic mission consisting of a disproportionate huge Catholic church and the Holy Family Hospital. There is a bond between Dutch missionaries and tropical doctors (Dutch:tropenarts) and this hospital.