The measure of His purpose

Ok. We've talked a bit about the history of Benin, now let's talk about the present.

Benin's current population is just under 11 million. That's about 1/3 of the population of Canada.

Like Canada, most of the population of Benin live along the southern border, which, in this case, is the coast of the Atlantic. Not surprising, considering the major role the Atlantic slave trade played in the country's development. Most of the country's cities and infrastructure lie in the south, while the northern highland/mountain regions are much more rural and undeveloped. In the very far north, spilling into Burkina Faso and Niger, are two large wildlife reserves. These are home to many of the endangered animals I mentioned a few weeks ago, and although they are considered a dangerous region for foreigners to visit, they do provide some of the country's tourism.

Although it is one of the most politically stable countries in the region, Benin still ranks extremely low on the UN's Human Development Index, which takes into account education, gender equality, quality of life, and life expectancy. Economically the country is growing, life expectancy and education have increased dramatically over the last 35 years, but it is still very, very far behind the rest of the world, ranking 166th out of 188 countries. The gender gap in education remains quite wide, with boys on average attending school twice as long as girls.

37% of the population of Benin still lives in severe poverty.

In future posts, I'll be delving deeper into some of these numbers. Mainly, the state of healthcare, access to education, and gender disparity in Benin. To give you some background, check out this video about the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. It will help you understand the progress that has been made over the past few years, how that progress is measured, and what we must do to further that progress.

"To understand God's thoughts we must study statistics, 

for these are the measure of His purpose."

-Florence Nightingale

 

Progress Updates:

Good news! I don't have Tuberculosis! My test came back clear. *phew*

Also, because of some communication delays, I ended up getting set up with a much better deal for my flights - $500 less than my original plan! Hooray for awesome Anabaptist travel agents!

Finally, my donation page is now up and running! If you feel inclined to help support me financially during my time serving with Mercy Ships, you can now do so HERE. If you feel inclined to support me through encouragement, prayer, songs, or...um...interpretive dance... I'll appreciate that too.

Till next week!
-D