Census results

Please read the post I wrote last night but I've just seen the results of the census that was actually being taken whilst we were here 2 years ago and I thought it was something to be shared.

In terms of water and sanitation:

Progress in bringing running water to people's homes has been much slower than electrification. In 1997, 8.5 per cent of houses had piped water, inside or outside the house. By 2007, that figure had risen to 10.1 per cent.

10.3 per cent of the population drew their water from public standpipes, and 14.1 per cent had access to a protected well or borehole with a pump. But most of the population still obtain their water from unprotected sources. 46.9 per cent use traditional wells without any hand pumps, and 17.3 per cent simply take their water from a river or lake.

The majority of homes - 54.3 per cent - have no sanitation at all, not even a simple pit latrine. This is actually a substantial improvement on 1997, when 66 per cent of homes had no latrine.

Other interesting things include the life expectancy which is around 50 and the fact that 47% of the population are under the age of 15.

When you take into account that the Diocese of Niassa covers the poorer end of the country, you start to get an idea of the situations we're working in and the challenges that exist. Summaries of the census can be found at allafrica.com. (Work and poverty, Definitive results, Birth, death and fertility)