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Angola   Why children in Angola need your helpEvery Angolan child has been affected by war and extreme poverty, with a civil war lasting almost 30 years. Many children were forced to watch as family members were killed, wounded or tortured during and the psychological effects have remained even as the atrocities subside.
Country factsAngola, a former Portuguese colony, achieved independence in 1975, however it was then beset by civil war, in which hundreds of thousands of Angolans lost their lives. It was not until 2002, and the death of rebel party Unita leader Jonas Savimbi, that a level of peace was achieved. Since then, Angola has faced the enormous task of rebuilding infrastructure, and removing landmines which still remain in rural areas. While the country has huge natural resources in the form of petroleum and diamonds, most of the population survive on subsistence agriculture. Due to the upheaval of the civil war, and the destruction to farming communities, half the country's food must be imported.
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One-third of Angola's
children under the age of five are malnourished, and 50 per cent
of do not attend primary school. In many cases, this is because
no school facilities, teachers or educational materials are
available. Seventy per cent of the population lives below the
poverty line, and over half are unable to find any form of paid
employment.
