Spent Saturday in Tooseng meeting the chief, the mayor and other prominent position holders in the community. We fed the children lunch and put on a short children's program for them, which I was in charge of.....quite interesting when it needs to be translated.
Here are a few statistics that I learned about Tooseng where I am working. This information came from government findings 2 years ago. My guess is that many of these numbers would be higher today.
- Population 6,000
- 500 households
- 75% unemployment
- classified as the poorest of the poor in Limpopo Province
- 10% educated
- 47% semiliterate
- 43% illiterate
- Teen pregnancy is estimated at 43%. Teenagers are engaged in unprotected sex to conceive babies for the sole reason of accessing child grants (welfare)
- The mortality rate is high due to HIV/AIDS and thus leaves orphans in the care of granny or child headed households
- 24% divorced
- 34% single parents
- 42% widows
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