Africare-Guinea-Bissau

Africare-Guinea-Bissau History

While on an official mission to the US in the spring of 1988, the late President of Guinea-Bissau, João Bernardo Vieira, visited Africare headquarters in Washington D.C. and asked the organization to support the people of Guinea-Bissau in its development efforts.  A grant from USAID allowed Africare to quickly respond to President Vieira’s request and implement a pilot PL 480, Title II program to promote the development of the local communities.  

In September of 1988, the Guinea-Bissau government approved the juridical position of Africare as a non-government international development organization. Since then Africare expanded its interventions nation-wide, having marked a strong and respectful presence in the country by implementing development and humanitarian programs. Assistance provided included agricultural production and food security, communities ‘managerial skills training, literacy, nutritional education, health and HIV/AIDS, development of  infrastructures (roads, foot bridges, community health posts, wells, rural market places and village schools), legalization, organizational capacity building, and credit. Special emphasis was placed on women and youth participation and agricultural product diversity as two important activities for providing employment and skills enhancement for income-generation. While many regions in Guinea-Bissau benefited from Africare assistance, this assistance was impeded by the status of insecurity that prevailed in the country; rendering it difficult for development activities and forcing Africare to phase-out of Guinea-Bissau in 2003.

Africare- Guinea-Bissau Today

After almost a decade of a non presence in Guinea-Bissau, Africare conducted a field trip mission to the nation in November 2007 to explore development possibilities and discuss probable return. This initiative was highly appreciated by the government of Guinea-Bissau (GOGB), partners and applauded by some local associations who have in the past enjoyed collaboration with Africare and benefited from the organization’s assistance. The GOGB also offered to provide office space to Africare. 

In February 2010, Africare responded to a Requested for Application (RFA) posted by UNHCR and was subsequently selected to receive funding to assist the Senegalese refugees hosted in Guinea-Bissau since 1992.  Administrative and logistics procedures were initiated, enabling Africare to reopen an office in Guinea-Bissau in May 2010. 

 

Country Profile: Guinea-Bissau

REGION: West Africa
CAPITAL CITY: Bissau
POPULATION: 1,565,126
LAND AREA: 28, 120 sq km (17,472 sq miles)

Guinea-Bissau is one of the five least-developed countries in the world. For decades, it has struggled with serious poverty and the related problems of hunger, ill health and environmental degradation. Shifts in leadership, including a coup d'état in May 1999, and sporadic civil unrest have exacerbated the difficult developmental conditions. Amid the internal upheavals, Guinea-Bissau's various leaders since the 1980s started steering the country toward free-market economics. Elections were held beginning in 1994. However, they did not result in domestic peace — and internal unrest continues to the present day. Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth internationally in cashew production.

 

Country Stats Life expectancy: 45.8 years (USA: 77.9) Under-5 child mortality: 200/1,000 live births (USA: 7/1,000) HIV prevalence, ages 15-49: [1.3 - 2.6]% (USA: [0.4 - 1.0]%) Physicians per 100,000 people: 12 (USA: 256) People undernourished: 39% (USA: 0%) People with access to safe drinking water: 59% (USA: 100%) Adult literacy: 44.8%* (USA: 99%) Annual income, one way to look at it (GDP per capita, PPP US$): $827 (USA: $41,890) People living on less than $1 a day: Not available (USA: 0%) (HIV prevalence statistics, UNAIDS. All other statistics, 2007/2008 Human Development Report, UNDP: asterisk* means approximate value.)

(Updated, June 2010)