Mauritania

Mauritania is located in West Africa and is entirely desert apart from the north bank of the Senegal River on its southern border.  It is said that Mauritania is one of the least traveled places on the earth. Despite abundant livestock, one of the world's richest fishing zones, and a massive agriculture potential, the country is not self-sufficient in food and other basic necessities. Mauritania is one of the largest recipients of foreign aid in the world and is deeply in debt and is one of the least industrialized countries in the world.  Most people work as farmers, cattle herders, and traders.  Laws against child labor are not enforced, thus most school-age children work.  Society is organized along strict ethnic lines, with a rigid system of castes.   Culturally, the importance of women is recognized.  However, men dominate in all areas of life.   In the southern part of the country, men provide for the family and women cook food and take care of children. In the northern portion of the country, women are not supposed to perform physical work as it is seen as degrading, so work is done by the slave women.  Due to their gender, women greatly suffer.  Many marriages are forced or arranged.  Polygamy is widespread as well as female circumcision.  Female slaves are sexually exploited. Forced feeding to fatten young girls for marriage is common among the Maurs and Haratin people.   All kinds of property including slaves are inheritable by relatives.

Mauritania is a nation that is closed to the Gospel.  Out of 18 people groups, 14 of them are still unreached.  For over 1,000 years, Islam has been the predominant religion of Mauritania. The government limits freedom of religion in part by prohibiting the distribution of non-Islamic religious materials and the evangelization of Muslims. Telling people about Jesus is not only illegal, but those who do become Christian, face severe social pressure and are often ostracized from their families.