Why join us? - The Needs

Arcubus will target the majority of its initial £1m to Mozambique, ranked 168 out of 177 countries in the UN Human Development Index. Life expectancy in Mozambique is just 44 years, 36% of the population live on less that $1 per day, 1 in 8 people aged 15 to 49 are HIV positive. Clearly there is significant poverty. GDP per capita is £1,345 (ppp). In Tanzania GDP per capita is £730 and life expectancy is 30 years; in Kenya it is £1,316 and 51 years.

There is also significant financial exclusion. Mozambique has only 344 bank branches for its population of 21.6m. Niassa, where two Arcubus projects will work, is the poorest province of Mozambique. It is the size of England yet has just 6 bank branches. This means that the majority of people living in Niassa have no way to save money securely, borrow money in times of crisis (to pay hospital bills, for example) or invest in their business. This severely reduces their chances of escaping the cycle of poverty.