Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Jan 14: Africa, Trends to Watch - Africa
Africa
World
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Geography
Area: 30,244,000 sq km20.3% of the world's surface area. Of this, 20.6 million sq km are in countries south of the Sahara, and 9.68 million in the nations of North Africa.
Population: 1,033,042,510 Annual Growth: 2.30%
Urbanites: 40%
Peoples
Peoples: 2,500 (0% unreached)Languages: 2,110
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 503,742,508 | 48.77 | 2.6 |
| Evangelicals | 182,442,247 | 17.7 | 3.6 |
Answer to Prayer
Third Wave Pentecostal groups, strongly evangelical, have become a major element in the African Church. They are strong on the Scriptures and outreach, expectant of miracles, fervent in prayer and courageous against the powers of darkness. The Redeemed Christian Church and Deeper Life Bible Church were both started in Nigeria and have planted churches in dozens of countries. Groups such as the Church of Pentecost (Ghana), the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God, and others in Kenya, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere continue to grow and plant new churches.For an additional 6 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Africa.Trends to Watch - Africa
Africa
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Challenge for Prayer
Disease still looms as a deathly spectre over Africa. A higher proportion of infants, children and adults are lost to disease in Africa than anywhere else. Tens of billions of dollars in productivity are lost each year to the effects of disease upon the working population. Of specific concern are:a) HIV/AIDS. Although no longer at its peak infection rate, HIV still afflicts nearly 23 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone. In some areas, up to one-third of the adult population were infected. This region accounts for 68% of new infections among adults, 91% among children and 72% of AIDS-related deaths. Life expectancy fell by half in parts of southern Africa. A staggering 14.2 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Entire communities and economies have been decimated. NGOs, including many Christian ones, have done much good work in education, prevention, treatment and care for those at risk or already suffering. Still, the Church needs to rise up, break the stigma associated with AIDS and minister life and truth to Africa. Ample opportunity exists to eradicate this plague within one generation; a UN report states that if HIV still infects millions of Africans by 2025, it will not be because there was no choice, but because of a lack of political will. Pray for wise and firm decision making; pray as well for the changing of sinful behavioural patterns that allow for AIDS to persist and spread.
b) Malaria, though a much less “glamorous” disease than AIDS, is even more destructive to Africa’s health and welfare. Malaria kills a child on average every 30 seconds; this is more than twice as many as HIV/AIDS claims and just as debilitating to the population’s strength and wellbeing. More than $12 billion in output is lost each year. The cost of widespread prevention (largely through mosquito nets) is a mere fraction of that amount, yet less than 5% of Africa’s children sleep under nets. Treatment-resistant strains of malaria are emerging, making prevention all the more vital. Pray for greater attention to be paid to this disease that steals, kills and destroys, and for greater action mobilized to eradicate it.
For an additional 5 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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