The Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville)
Statistics & Facts:
- Capital City = Brazzaville
- Population = 4,125,916
- Official and Recognized Languages = French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread).
- Independence = August 15, 1960
- GDP = $16.41 BILLION (USD 2009 estimate) / Per capita = $4100
- Currency = Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs
- Religion = Christian 50%, Animist 48%, Muslim 2%
(Statistics from CIA – World Factbook)
The Republic of Congo and Diamonds:
The Republic of Congo was recently investigated by the Kimberley Process – the process developed to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate diamond supply chain. The Kimberley Process found that the Republic of Congo had met standards necessary to be re-admitted to the Kimberley Process. It is hoped that through the legitimate trade in the country’s diamond resources, benefication to local communities will soon follow.
(Diamondfacts.org)
Education in The Republic of Congo:
Public expenditure of the GDP was less in 2002-05 than in 1991. Public education is theoretically free and compulsory for under-16-year olds, but in practice, expenses exist. Net primary enrollment rate was 44% in 2005, much less than the 79% in 1991. The country has universities. Education between ages six and sixteen is compulsory. Students who complete six years of primary school and seven years of secondary school obtain a baccalaureate. At the university, students can obtain a bachelor’s degree in three years and a master’s after four. Marien Ngouabi University-which offers courses in medicine, law, and several other fields-is the country’s only public university. Instruction at all levels is in French, and the educational system as a whole models the French system. The educational infrastructure has been seriously degraded as a result of political and economic crises. There are no seats in most classrooms, forcing children to sit on the floor. Enterprising individuals have set up private schools, but they often lack the technical knowledge and familiarity with the national curriculum to teach effectively. Families frequently enroll their children in private schools only to find they cannot make the payments.
(Wikipedia.org)
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I’ve been in the beautiful city of Hong Kong for almost a week now. I am here to raise money for the Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF), my non-profit organization which is dedicated to supporting the empowerment of African youth.
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