Malawi is $2.9 billion in debt but the cash that was borrowed hasn't done Simao Aloni or his home village of Chiromo any good. Campaigners for debt relief argue that as a result, the people of dirt-poor Malawi shouldn't be burdened with it. The Group of Seven wealthy nations pledged to help to rid the world's poorest countries of their weighty debt, launching a programme that fell short of the immediate action demanded by Africa. The compromise deal pledged only that the G7 would look at cancelling up to 100 percent of the debts owed to international institutions by the poorest countries on an individual basis.