Month 7 of our World Race is going to be in Chamba, Mozambique!
Here are some facts about Mozambique:
– Colonized by Portugal and received independence in 1975.
– The country was in a civil war from 1977 until 1992.
– Has one of the worst human development index and one of the highest human inequality.
– It is the 35th largest country. (and it’s very long)
– 50% of the population speak Portuguese.
– 56% of the population is Christian.
– October to March is the rainy season. And cyclones are common.
– The number of HIV positive people has been increasing since 2005.
– Average temperatures are HOT! I heard around 100 degrees F.
Chamba is in the middle of the country by the ocean. It is 12 km from the city of Beira (on the right side near the Indian Ocean label). This is my birthday month, what fun adventure will take place on January 22, 2012? I heard rumors or being able to swim with whale sharks, but we shall see!!
Our Ministry this month:
– Working in a boys orphanage with 26 9-18 year old boys.
– Small construction tasks.
– Hanging out with the kids.
– Maybe some widow ministry.
Mozambique has some special significance to me. During high school, I was involved in a project called the “Landmines Taskforce”. What we did is we raised money and awareness about landmine fields in Mozambique. Of the city I am not sure, but I think it was in multiple places around the country. Because of the civil war, there were many hidden landmines, and due to this children were unable to go to school or out to play because of the danger and fear of stepping on a landmine. Many people did step on landmines and lost limbs or even their lives. I dedicated 4 years of community service working towards making Mozambique a safer place for children and now finally I am able to go there and see the country for myself. A part of me really wishes my high school friends could be making this journey with me in order to see the place that we all worked so hard for. I won’t be able to see the places where our efforts took place, but just the fact of visiting this war torn country and to see how far it has come means a lot to me.
**Travel plans**
Monday Night-> leave Cape Town, overnight bus to Johannesburg
Tuesday-> Arrive in Joburg, spend night in hostel
Wednesday-> leave for Mozambique
Thursday-> Leave for our ministry city
Friday-> arrive in Chamba, Mozambique!
Here is a video of where we wil be staying and the ministry:
