Pray for Cape Verde

In 2008, The Republic of Cape Verde became the second nation to be removed from the list of the 50 least developed countries, and it has one of the most stable democracies in Africa. The West African island nation has been subjected to frequent droughts in the latter half of the twentieth century, and as a result, more Cape Verdeans live outside the nation than within it. Cape Verde is composed of ten islands and five islets that are covered in exquisite natural rock formations created from the interacting of high winds and sand. The lands were uninhabited until the fifteenth century, when the Portuguese settled them as trading centers for African slaves. Cape Verde finally gained independence in 1975.

Struggling to maintain a viable agriculture as a result of the dry weather, three-fourths of the GDP is from service-oriented commerce. The population is just over 581,000, a number dwindling since droughts took the lives of nearly 200,000 people and claimed 80% of the islands’ grain crop. Cape Verde’s government appealed for international food aid, yet nearly a third of the population still lives in poverty today, and the nation has not widely explored other economic ventures such as fishing.

Catholicism had a privileged position until Cape Verde’s independence, and while nearly 90% of nationals still identify themselves as Catholic, the church is synchronized with superstitions and African fetishism. Cape Verdeans have also had a longstanding Nazarene presence, and Pentecostals have seen increases in numbers, nearly 6% annually. Local leaders are needed to rise up and disciple others as geographical isolation and a unique dialect (Creole) have prevented spiritual growth amongst many national believers.