ABOUT MOZAMBIQUE Mozambique lies along the Indian Ocean sea border of Southern Africa. It is among the poorest countries in the world, with families surviving on less than $2 a day. The Portugese 'colonised' Mozambique in the 15th century. The Portuguesedid little to develop the country, and  simply rented out available resources - there was no social investment in Mozambique. The independence movement in the 1960s led to independence in 1975. The Portugese pulled out virtually overnight leaving the country lacking skilled professionals and infrastructure.  By the early 1980s the country was nearly bankrupt and the shops were empty. With few options, the goernment turned to the governments of the Soviet Union and East Germany for help.
	Portuguese buildings are still in use but many are in disrepair
Civil war In disapproval of the strategic alliance, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) and South Africa supported and trained rebels in Mozambique, leading to civil war.  The war led to the destruction of most of Mozambique's infrastructure, including roads and railways.  Many refugees fled to neighbouring countries. In 1983 drought and famine struck the country and the government opened up Mozambique to the West to receive food aid. In 1992 a peace treaty was signed and official elections were held in 1994. By mid 1995, over 1.7 million refugees who had sought asylum in neighbouring countries had returned to Mozambique.	Other challenges In 2001 floods devastated the country. Some flooded areas were hit by drought the following year. The current economy is crippled by debt with annual payments almost twice the public health budget. Infant mortality rates from largely cureable diseases are at 13%. Average life expectancy is less than 40 because of diseases such as  malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, leprosy and HIV which is increasingly prevalent. Around 10% of children attend secondary school and only 2% attend higher education. The illiteracy rate in the adult population is high. The country has resources such as timber, cotton and copper but the industries are not competitive because of the lack of infrastructure. Good road and rail service are almost non-existent and reliable access to power and communication is patchy.
	About Beira Beira, where the the Awaken Mozambique project is based, suffered greatly during the brutal 16-year conflict that wreaked havoc upon Mozambique. Today, Sofala province, in which Biera is located, has the dubious reputation of being Mozambique's poorest province. As an economy, Beira is struggling: physical infrastructure is broken and its people appear to have few opportunities to progress.
Children drawing water from a well.