I think it's time I share some statistics with you about where I'm going...(and time for me to look them up for my own benefit as well).
So here it goes...
Basics
Gained indepence from Portugal in 1975.
Civil war devastated the country until 1992.
Maputo (where I'll be) is the capital city.
It is 309,475 square miles. (Slightly less than twice the size of Calfornia.)
Mozambique has a tropical climate with two seasons, a wet season from October to March and a dry season from April to September.
Average temperature ranges in Maputo are from 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit in July to 72 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit in February. (I hear it really goes up to about 120.)
Main language spoken is Portuguese.
People
Population is about 20.4 million; 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
Religions: Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous African and other beliefs 40%
Education: females remain in school about 7 years, males 9 years.
Life expectancy at birth, males 49 years, females 51 years
Literacy Rate: 44%
5.8 children born to every female
Health Concerns
About 1,500,000 people living with HIV.
About 810,000 of them women- transfering to their babies at birth.
About 1,400,000 children are orphaned, 400,000 of them because of AIDS.
104 babies out of every 1000 will die in infancy.
57% of the population has no clean water access.
Malaria, TB, HIV, Hep A are all real daily concerns.
25% of children under 5 are underweight.
There is 1 physician for every 33,333...in the US there is 1 for every 390!
Economy
Division of Labor- Agricualture about 81%, Industry 6%, and Services 13%
21% of population is unemployed.
70% of population is below the poverty line.
36% of population is living $1/day
Ok that is what I have for now. Definitely sobering. A realization for sure.
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and don't forget the HIV rate is 16% thought i don't know where they get that number from when the majority of our kids haven't been registered as living beings to the government when the arrive in the center and every district in the country doesn't even have 1 sole doctor so no HIV testing gets done...and then there's the stigma so the majority of people just don't get tested...but it's someone's guestimation somewhere and it keeps being reported everywhere as that!
ReplyDeleteHi Meghann,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Laura and I work at Zimpeto as well, in the boys' dorm, ages 4-9. I don't know if we've met (if you've visited) but I look forward to meeting you for sure when you arrive and getting to know you. I am in the States right now and would be happy to chat with you if you have any questions or anything as you prepare to go. I did that and it helped me a lot. If you'd like to chat, my number is 510-566-0059. Ate logo! (See you soon!)