The Republic of Mozambique is a country in southeastern Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Malawi to the northwest, and South Africa to the south. Mozambique has a population of approximately 22 million people. Languages spoken here include Emakhuwa and Xichangana, and Portuguese is spoken as a second language by 27 percent of the population. Approximately 24 percent of the population is Catholic, 18 percent are Muslim, and 19 percent are Zionist Christian. Poverty, an economy highly dependent on foreign aid, and HIV/AIDS are among some of the country’s greatest challenges. Food insecurity affects more than four percent of the population, or more than 800,000 people.

Child marriage also remains a neglected issue. Driven by a dowry incentive in poverty stricken areas, some families force their young daughters to wed. These young girls are more likely to be uneducated, at greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, more vulnerable to domestic violence, and more likely to bear children before they are physically ready. In Mozambique, a staggering 56 percent of girls are married before the age of eighteen. In Niger, 75 percent of all girls are married before 18, in Chad (72 percent), Mali (71 percent), and Bangladesh (64 percent).

• About 40 percent of children under the age of five suffer from stunting due to chronic malnutrition
• More than 90,000 children under the age of 15 are living with HIV/AIDS
• Less than three percent of eligible children are receiving anti-retroviral treatment
• About 1.5 million of Mozambique’s children are orphans
• About 470,000 children have lost one or both parents to AIDS
• Less than 40 percent of the country has access to basic health services
• Just over 40 percent of the population has access to clean water

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