Mauritania

Located in Northern Africa between Senegal and Western Sahara, Mauritania gained its independence from France in 1960. Half of the labor force is employed in the agricultural sector, but droughts and overgrazing are contributing to desertification. The country is forced to import food to supplement the domestic food production, leading to widespread food insecurity across the country and especially in the most drought-stricken regions. The Mauritanian government is committed to reducing poverty, encouraging the privatization of the economy and improving the country's health and education services, but a military coup in 2008 lead the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to end their programs in the country. Counterpart International's (Counterpart) unique approach to community self-sufficiency strives to increase access to and quality of education and health services. Returning refugees, whose access to food, health care or education is very unstable, also benefit from Counterpart programs.

Map and country information, The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2009.