Officially, peace arrived in Angola in April. Yet seven months later, that peace is tenuous. Among the challenges for this southern African country that has known little but war for three decades is the reintegration of thousands of former rebel soldiers, many of whom were abducted as children and forced to fight. At the same time, millions displaced by the fighting are trying to rebuild their communities in spite of the region’s worst food shortage in half a century.

Angola’s 12 million people, more than half of whom are children, live in one of the world’s poorest and least-developed nations. Nearly one in three children dies before the age of 5, and more than half experience hunger severe enough to stunt their growth. In addition, Angola has one of the heaviest concentrations of landmines in the world.

“Of the seven southern African countries experiencing food shortages, Angola probably has the bleakest prospects,” said Steve Matthews, World Vision disaster communication specialist. “Angolans have a critical opportunity to turn their country around. But even the weather seems to be working against them.”

World Vision has been working in Angola since 1989, providing food aid, health and nutrition education, agricultural training, mine awareness, and water and sanitation programs.