We have chosen to focus on South Africa for several basic reasons:

1. Economic conditions in South Africa are representative of the world itself where massive, growing numbers of people are in poverty, a small percentage are very rich, and a rapidly declining number are in the middle.
   
2. The history of South Africa, like our own, is a painful legacy of colonialism, injustice, and racism.  In South Africa this culminated with 50 years of Apartheid imposed, to a great extent, by the leaders of the Dutch Reformed Church.  Miraculously, political conditions have changed since peaceful elimination of Apartheid in 1994.  The black majority now runs the government, festering injustices have been partially cauterized by the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Dutch Reformed Church has asked forgiveness and amazingly is now working to unite with black churches from which it has been separated for much of its history.
   
3. Serious economic and social problems remain.  Nationwide, unemployment is 38%, while in many black settlements it reaches 90%.  A substantial percentage of blacks live in crowded shanty towns without electricity, water, or sanitation facilities.  HIV/AIDS has now infected over 6,000,000 people, the largest number of any country in the world.  The gap between rich and poor is at the top of the chart.  Millions are malnourished; crime has become a horrendous problem.  With malnutrition and AIDS rampant, life expectancy for those born today is 43.3 years: death is omnipresent.
   
4. South Africa is also an inspiration.  It has experienced the miracles of confession by many who have been in error, and forgiveness by many who have been oppressed.  A substantial number of South Africans want to press forward to healing and an improved life for their people.  We would like to encourage and help them where we can.