Deaths rates among refugees in Goma were 57 times higher than the crude mortality rate before the war. Among unaccompanied children, date rates were 100 per 10,000 per day 1 . Soon, the violence engulfed the whole region. The already precarious health status of the people was rapidly worsened by war and civil strife. Between 1991 and 1996 in Rwanda, life expectancy fell from 47 to 36 years.
Infectious diseases are rampant.
Everyday, thousands of people die from preventable diseases. What happened and is still happening in Central Africa has led some people to wonder whether the gospel has failed in that region. In Rwanda, where more than 70 percent of the population is Christian, people have murdered their neighbors and co-workers. It is believed that even church members were involved in the bloody massacres. In spite of all the terrible things that have happened in my part of the world, I can say with confidence that the gospel has not failed.