Guinea Bissau

You are here: Our projects > Where we work > Guinea Bissau

In Guinea Bissau, Handicap International works on landmines, disabled people's rights and disability prevention issues.

CONTEXT
Guinea-Bissau is a former Portuguese colony, which gained its independence after 11 years of war. In spite of opening up to the market economy in 1998, large-scale bilateral cooperation and the adoption of the CFA franc as national currency in June 1997, Guinea-Bissau remains one of the world’s poorest countries. The politico-military conflict, from June 1998 to May 1999, bled the country white. The economy, health and social services and the government administration need rebuilding.
The president, elected democratically in 2000, was unable to stabilise the country and in September 2003, there was a coup d’Etat. President Enrique Rosa was appointed for a period of 18 months (until March 2005). Arthur Sanha was appointed Prime Minister until the next legislative elections scheduled for March 2004. Although the coup d’Etat was peaceful, instability still reigns. In this context, investors remain nervous and Guinea-Bissau seems to have been forgotten by the decision-makers.

BACKGROUND
Handicap International opened a programme in 2001 and chose to support a Guinean NGO, Andes (National Association for Health Development), on a MRE (Mine Risk Education) and rehabilitation project for people with disabilities, including victims of landmines. 

At the same time, the government of Guinea-Bissau and the World Bank asked Handicap International to carry out a study on the question of integration for the country’s disabled war veterans. The objectives were to produce recommendations for the definition and implementation of strategies for assisting the process of demobilising and re-integrating disabled war veterans. This study was delivered to the PDRRI (Programme for the Demobilisation, Re-insertion and Re-integration of Disabled War Veterans) in 2001. In 2002, training was given to a team of doctors on techniques for assessing the level of disability of disabled war veterans.

In 2003, several projects were developed for promoting the integration of disabled people into society:
– support to Undemo, an association developing disabled people' sporting activities to enable them to participate in the Japhaf (African Francophone Sports Meeting for the Disabled People)
– access to employment in the cashew nuts processing sector for people with disabilities. This involves training 60 disabled people in the relevant techniques and negotiating with the businesses working in this sector
– training 6 welders in wheelchair and tricycle production techniques.

All these activities are based mainly in the country’s capital, Bissau, with the exception of the MRE project, which is based in the internal provinces. People with disabilities benefiting from these projects also live in some of the smaller towns such as Bafata, Bissora, Cantchungo and Mansoa.

OUR OBJECTIVES
Our programme’s objectives are as follows:

• Build national capacity for resolving the problems caused by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO)
• Promote the integration of people with disabilities into society and develop their self-esteem
• Strengthen existing capacity in the field of disability prevention and the care-management of disabled people

ACTIVITIES

1) Demining project in Bissau
Clearance of landmines and unexploded munitions in the capital

2) Mine Risk Education (MRE) project in the north of Guinea-Bissau
Objective: strengthen the MRE project in the north of the zone to enable the population to live with the danger and reduce the number of accidents.
Activities:
– consolidate the network of activists
– create a network of active facilitators
– train the teachers
– produce tools
– supervise activities
– set up a data collection system and communicate
– set up links with the MRE project in Casamance

3) Facilitate access to employment for people with disabilities in cashew nut processing plants
Objective: valorise disabled people by helping them gain access to employment and thus to financial self-reliance.
Activities
– facilitate access to employment for
– guarantee that production conditions are conform with the International Labour Organisation’s standards and to the solidarity criteria outlined in the project’s charter
– negotiate with the country’s entrepreneurs and with European suppliers to ensure a regular market for the product and thus the sustainability of the employment

4) Develop autonomy of movement for disabled people
Objective: improve the quality of the wheelchairs and tricycles produced by the welders trained in November 2003
Activities: Occasional support mission and quality control on the production.

5) Background support to the rehabilitation services of Andes
Objective: improve the quality of rehabilitation treatment for disabled people.
Activities:
– set up procedures for providing support to Andes via the regional coordination office
– assist with raising funds for the 5-year CBR programme
– maintain cooperation via exchanges of information, technical documents and activity reports

BENEFICIARIES
Direct beneficiaries: 3,500 people with disabilities, the populations living with the problem of landmines (suburbs of Bissau, villages along the northern border with Casamance), local demining personnel.

Indirect beneficiaries: the families of people with disabilities, the cashew nut processing plants, the welders, Andes staff.

Institutional partners: community radio, demining NGOs, associations of disabled people, USAID, European Union, the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives.

CONTACTS
Handicap International
Rua Justino Lopez, 16
Bissau
Tel: 00 245 20 50 44
E-mail: hibissau@yahoo.fr