Haiti “poorest state in the West” Haiti is the western third of the island of Hispaniola shared with the Dominican Republic. A slave revolt against French rulers in 1804 created the first black republic in the world. Since then Haiti has been in chaos with a troubled history of bloodshed and dictatorships. The US intervened […]
Mission – Guatemala
Guatemala “largest country in Central America” Throughout history Guatemala has been controlled by plantation owners making a healthy profit and then by military dictators hungry for power. Years of oppression and absolute poverty exploded in 1960 into 36 years of guerilla war. During this time human rights abuses were appalling with over 40,000 people ‘disappearing’, […]
Missions – France
France “the largest country in western Europe” the largest country in western Europe France is a central and enthusiastic member of Europe, but it is a country which has a strong sense of its culture and history. Laws protect the French language from the creeping advance of Americanisation; even McDonald’s Big Mac had to become […]
Missions – Eritrea
Eritrea “longest African war of the 20th century” Eritrea still carries the wounds from 30 years of fighting for independence, after the United Nations made the unpopular decision to join Eritrea to Ethiopia in 1950. 65,000 people died as Eritrea and Ethiopia fought the longest African war of the 20th century. Eritrea began to rebuild […]