Completed Project
The agricultural processes which are the
primary sources of livelihood and income, are characterized by primordial
technology, high input costs and low productivity. 92% of the population uses
biomass energy, 42.1% of the population lives below the poverty line and 85% of
the population has no access to safe and reliable sources of drinking water.
This is significantly lower than the national average
which is at
15%. An estimated 56% of the population walk for more than one hour to collect
drinking water and back and 44% does not have access to
any toilet facility.
The dependency ratio is 57.5% and the working population (aged 20-64 years) is 42.5%, thus constituting high dependency ratio. The population density in Western Equatorial Region is 8/sq. km lower than the national average. The adult literacy rate stands at mere 27%, and 60% of children aged 6 –17 years have never set foot in a classroom. The literacy rate for males is at 55% compared to 34% for females. The Gross Enrollment Rate for primary school in 2009 was 56%. Infant Mortality Rate is 151 (per 1,000 live births), under 10 Mortality Rate is 192 (per 1,000 live births), Maternal Mortality Rate is 2,327 (per 100,000 live births) and only 8% of children are fully immunized.