Where We Serve

The Edmundite Missions serve people living in central Alabama, called the Black Belt, for its rich soil and agricultural heritage. It is the poorest region of the state. Per-capita income in Black Belt counties averaged $15,000 in the 1990s, compared to $20,000 for the rest of the state.

The Black Belt region area includes four of the primary counties the Edmundites serve:

These counties are listed among the 100 poorest counties in the U.S. Wilcox County is the 22nd poorest county in the nation.

Children, teens and adults all suffer because of the extreme poverty of the Black Belt Region. This area of Alabama has:

Some of the highest infant, child & teen mortality rates in the nation.
Some of the shortest life expectancies in the world.

The people of the Black Belt region suffer in areas of health care, employment, education and general well-being:

Four out of every 10 residents live in poverty
Unemployment is 11 percent
Highest rate of births to teen moms in state; double the national rate
One-fourth of families have no car
Highest percent in Alabama of pregnant women with inadequate prenatal care
Schools with Alabama’s lowest average Stanford Achievement Test scores
Schools with Alabama’s lowest average ACT test scores
The number of births to teen mothers in the Black Belt region is nearly double the national average.

Alabama is one of the poorest states in the nation. It ranks as the fourth poorest state in the U.S. (U.S. Census, 2001). Alabama has been among the poorest states in the nation for over 100 years. (U.S. Census summary).

Alabama’s children are most vulnerable.

The state tops the nation in infant mortality rates. In 1999 alone, 607 babies died before their first birthday.
The child death rate in Alabama—children ages 1-14 is the fifth highest in the nation.
Teen death rates, ages 15-19, Alabama ranks No. 7 in the nation.
Nearly half Alabama’s children live in poor families that receive food stamps compared to 24 percent nationally.
A national child’s advocacy group that measures 15 factors for child health, ranks Alabama as 48th in the nation in overall child well-being.