About Angola

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The area now known as Angola became home to Portuguese settlers and traders in the 16th Century, and became a Portuguese Colony in 1655, before its status changed when it became a province of Portugal in 1951. By the end of that decade there was growing unrest in the province, mainly due to enforced cotton harvesting and the Angolan War of Independence erupted in 1961, lasting a long fourteen years and ending with independence just as Portugal's own regime fell.

Angola was given independence on 11th November 1975, however, despite a long and bloody war to overthrow Portugal, a further twenty-seven year civil war raged until 2002 as the country broke down into factions. It is estimated that around one and a half million of the country's eighteen million citizens were killed during this Angola war, with millions more being displaced.

Today Angola is ruled by a president who held legislative elections in 2008, but not the promised presidential election in 2009. Ravaged by decades of war, the country faces many acute problems, not least being the landmines that litter the country, presenting an imminent danger to transport and life there. In fact, visitors are strongly advised not to even venture outside the capital city of Luanda. Life expectancy for males and females is a staggering low 38.2 years and Angola has one of the highest infant mortality rates of any country in the world. Yet, despite a high level of disease and low take up rates of education, improvements are being felt across the country as stability takes hold.

Despite this, there are thousands of children living on the streets of Luanda, living in extreme poverty and at risk of emotional, physical and sexual exploitation. And children across Angola have been affected by the decades of war, facing displacement, violence, starvation and the loss of family members, scarring them for life. Sponsoring a child in Angola can help at least one child out of a cycle of deprivation and loss, check out sponsoring opportunities here.