Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony on the south east coast of Africa, has 2500 km of white, sandy beaches along the Indian Ocean and has been war-free since 1992. The population is about 20 million and Maputo, the capital, in the far south has about 1.2 million people. The Portuguese first established permanent trading settlements in the north of Mozambique in the early 1500's but Arab traders had been active there for about 500 years prior.
The country is working very hard to improve its literacy rate and train more teachers to serve the growing population. Quality education is the key and the Universidade Pedagógica, where I will be volunteering, has a main campus in Maputo and five satellite campuses stretching to the north of the country providing distance-education. The resource centre, with appropriate teaching and learning tools, is essential to support the learning needs of the students/future teachers. There is currently only one public computer with intermittent internet access. Part of my volunteer position will be to actively fundraise to provide the essential IT and equipment the students need.
Following the fight for independence in 1965, the country underwent a civil war, which ended in 1992. There are still landmines throughout the country so walking off-track is not advisable. Although it is a resource-rich country, this has not translated into improved economic conditions for the average person.
If you are interested in learning more about the country and its civil war, I highly recommend the book by Nick Middleton, entitled 'Kalashnikovs and zombie cucumbers: travels in Mozambique'. He also discusses the history and role of the various aid agencies in Mozambique, which I found particularly helpful.