Angola

Background

From 1975 to 2002, civil war ripped Angola apart, leaving in its wake half a million deaths and mass displacement. While the government and country's infrastructure crumbled in the divide between the MPLA, FNLA and UNITA military factions, Angolans fought to survive.

After three decades of war, with the death of the UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi in 2002, the country reached a cease fire. The MPLA, lead by José Eduardo dos Santos, assumed control of the government and has been the dominant political party since.

Now at peace, with an estimated population of more than 13 million, Angola struggles to reinvent itself. Reconstructive efforts include the rebuilding of Angola's battered healthcare infrastructure. A country with one of the highest infant, child and maternal mortality rates in the world and an average life expectancy of only 40 years, the road to recovery in Angola is a slow one. Though rich in natural recourses, its healthcare system is plagued by a lack of human resources and an insufficient number of medical facilities to meet the needs of its ever expanding population.

Chief among the causes of morbidity and mortality for children under 5 years of age in Angola is malaria (Plasmodium falciparum), with an estimated 1.5 million cases per a year (2002). With 90% of the country's population is at risk of contracting malaria, international aid organizations like The MENTOR Initiative have been solicited to assist the government in scaling up efforts in their fight against malaria.