In His Loving Hand wants to be a blessing to children and young people
in difficulty in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire), West Africa, and give
them hope for a brighter future.
Ivory Coast is a beautiful country with a diversity of landscapes from
tropical forests in the west to the savanna's in the northern half to
the southern coastal lagoons, palm and pineapple plantations, and
fishing villages.
Ivory Coast was once the economic “star” of West Africa, but
political problems of the past few years have destabilized everything
and have brought more hardship and poverty to the population.
More than 60 percent of the population is under 18 years of
age. The nation faces a great
challenge as it attempts to take care of the many children, young
people, and single mothers who suffer due to high poverty levels, lack
of education, family problems, and disease.
The Plight of Poor Families
Many poor families have lots of children. Frequently, parents are too
poor to provide the basics of life for their children, let alone buy
the necessary school uniforms and supplies for the free public
education. Often if the family can afford to send anyone to school,
they send the boys rather than the girls, leaving the girls to find
work in the street.
As for the boys, even if they have had some education, many times the
family cannot continue to support them. Because of the family’s
poverty, sons feel obligated to go to the streets to search for food
for the family. Sadly, these boys, as well as girls, are exposed to all
kinds of dangers and abuse and confronted with the miserable and sad
consequences of stealing, drugs, prostitution, and horrific health
problems.
Concerning health problems, when children’s parents die of AIDS,
they sometimes go to live with grandparents, or with other
relatives who already have many young children, or on the street.
Children on the streets suffer from malnutrition, lack of physical
hygiene, and the filth of the environment.
General Information on Ivory Coast
The West African country of Ivory Coast is situated between Ghana and
Liberia with Mali and Burkina Faso to the north. The word “ivory” comes
from the earlier commerce of elephant tusks, which eventually destroyed most of
the elephant population.
The population of Ivory Coast, once a French colony, is over 17 million, and includes a
large number of foreigners, not only from other African countries but
also from other countries around the world.
Abidjan is the country’s largest metropolis. It is a beautiful, modern
city located on the coast and is home to more than seven
million people. It is considered to be the economic capital of Ivory
Coast, while Yamoussoukro, located north of Abidjan, is the
political capital.
The rural population of Ivory Coast makes its living mainly from
agriculture and fishing. The country is the world's largest producer of
cocoa, and its other main exports include coffee, palm oil, petroleum,
pineapples, cotton, bananas, and fish.
Because of the numerous ethnic groups, there are 70 languages and
dialects spoken in Ivory Coast. French is the main language. The
literacy rate is estimated at 45 percent.
The major religions are Islam (estimated at 60 percent of the
population), Christianity (about 12 percent of the population), and
indigenous beliefs. The latter include animism, witchcraft, fetish
worship, and occultism.
