Friday, July 13, 2007

Mozambique


I've been thinking alot about Mozambique these last few days.
I'm a huge fan of Heidi Baker who with Iris Ministries is changing the whole world from Mozambique... (click on bottom link to go to her website) but I also discovered that the country is one of the Partners In Mission countries for the Australian Southern Territory. (Every developed country is linked with several developing countries in the Salvation Army for partnering... a great idea, I think.)

Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. Here's some of the BBC's overview "Between 1977 and 1992 up to a million Mozambicans died from fighting and famine in a war that ruined the economy and much of the countryside. The country has been left with a legacy of landmines and amputees.

A political settlement in 1992 was followed by stability and rapid economic growth for one of the world's poorest countries. However, it suffered serious setbacks when in 2000 and 2001 it was hit by floods which affected about a quarter of the population and destroyed much of its infrastructure.

In 2002, a severe drought hit many central and southern parts of the country, including previously flood-stricken areas. Poverty remains widespread, with more than 50% of Mozambicans living on less than $1 a day."

So, if we really meant business and wanted to partner with a country whose average person lives on less than a dollar a day - what would that partnership look like? These are the things that keep me up at night.

1 comment:

jsi said...

When I wash my dishes in the morning after having taken a shower and done two loads of laundry, I am consistently moved to know the sheer wealth I have at my fingertips simply because of a clean water source. It is something many parts of the world do not have, or that civil wars are created and maintained about.
$1 a day is so little, so meager, and I know I have that much in the cushions of my couch.
The disparity of wealth in the world is so challenging and also so empowering. Continue to nurture the sister connection you have with Mozambique, praying for that connection to be present, relevant and God-honoring.