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Nigeria is about twice the size of California and its 145 million people make it the most populated country in Africa. English is the official language, but is spoken only among the educated.

Life in Nigeria is difficult. Half of the people are under age 16. Women bear an average of nearly six children each, and life expectancy is slightly less than 50 years. Nine of every 100 children die before the age of five. Official estimates suggest that life expectancy will drop to 40 years by 2015 due to the aids/HIV epidemic. Seventy percent live in poverty, and both inflation and unemployment are nearly 6%. Health care in rural Nigeria is almost non-existent, and medical drugs are usually fake. The people struggle every day to have enough to eat, and many children are under nourished. Malaria, typhoid, dysentery, lice and leprosy are common serious diseases.

Housing is very poor. Most are mud walls plastered with mortar. A family of six or seven will live in a two-room house and cook outside with wood or charcoal. Nigeria is composed of more than 25 ethnic groups. 50% of the people profess to be Islamic, 40% are Christian, and 10% claim various indigenous tribal beliefs.

Generally, the northern portions of Nigeria are Muslim. Christians are concentrated in its southern states. Nigerians are very receptive to the Gospel, however Muslims are aggressively evangelizing the south. Already many states in the north have adopted Islamic law as state law. They are very militant and have already killed thousands of Christians and burned many churches.

Thus far, The Carpenter's Project has partnered in two church projects in central Nigeria.
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