Guinea Save the Children has worked in Guinea since 1997. Our programs focus on the availability and quality of formal and informal education, improving health services for children and mothers and child protection. We also incorporate HIV/AIDS information into our health and education initiatives. Community participation is a driving force behind our work, which reaches some 570 communities and benefits hundreds of thousands of Guineans as well as thousands of refugees from neighboring countries. Challenges for Children Guinea's people are among the poorest in West Africa. In addition to the many problems facing the country and its children, HIV/AIDS has increased rapidly in recent years and, if unchecked, will reach epidemic status. The suffering caused by war competes with the many development challenges. Today, in N'Zérékoré, a community located in southern Guinea, there are an estimated 10,000 refugee children and youth living on their own, without family support or structure, and many are involved in or extremely vulnerable to exploitative labor situations, commercial sexual work or illegal activities. Numbers at a Glance ·         By income, Guinea ranks 156th out of 177 countries. ·        The average life expectancy is 50 years old. ·         The mortality rate of children under 5 is 160 in 1,000 live births. ·         Over their lifetimes, women have a one in 18 chance of dying of complications    during pregnancies or in childbirth. ·         Girls typically spend only six years in school. ·         The country is suffering from 30 percent inflation. ·         There are approximately 150,000 refugees in southern Guinea. Our Response Education: We build primary schools, improve community participation in all aspects of school management, and encourage gender and urban/rural equity in primary education. The introduction of school libraries has also become a significant program activity. We have created school libraries in some 40 villages to increase reading among children and encourage them to read with their parents. Literacy is an important issue in Guinea – less than one adult in three is literate and this rate drops to about one in five for females. In 2007, 50,734 children benefitted from our school activities. Population: 9,947,814 Population Growth Rate (annual %): 2.6 Life Expectancy at Birth (years): 50 Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births): 89 Children Under-5 Mortality Rate (per 1,000 live births): 160 Lifetime Risk of Maternal Mortality (1 in number stated): 18 Adult Male Literacy Rate (percentage of males 15+): 43 Adult Female Literacy Rate (percentage of females 15+): 18 Population with access to an improved water source (%): 50 Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Bank, UNDP Health: In collaboration with the Guinean government, Save the Children is increasing the quality and use of essential family planning and maternal-child health services. We deliver school-based health and nutrition activities to help children be healthier and stay in school. HIV/AIDS information is incorporated into our health and education initiatives. Projects have included organizing village health committees to promote health care for children under 5 and pregnant women, creating social insurance projects to support emergency obstetrical care and training traditional birth attendants. This is especially important as traditional birth attendants are often the only health workers in rural areas available to identify and treat children’s and women’s illnesses. Child Protection: Save the Children continues to work with refugees in southern Guinea. While thousands have repatriated, our focus is on helping vulnerable refugee children and youth living in and around N'Zérékoré, a community in southern Guinea. Our staff and programs provide essential outreach to help protect those at risk. The activities encourage youths’ interaction with their peers, promote eventual reintegration into communities and prepare them to return to their homes in Liberia through skills training, apprenticeship programs and educational development. Last year, 700 at-risk youth were identified and trained in French, English and computer skills; 100 girls were trained in income generating activities. Plans for the Future:  Looking Forward for Children Save the Children will focus on three sectors: child protection, basic education and health. We will continue to work with refugees from neighboring nations, with special attention focused on children and youth who have left camps to live in urban settings in southern Guinea and at-risk refugee youths in N'Zérékoré. And, we will continue to build libraries in village schools. Life in Guinea: Kokulo's Story Kokulo was just a baby when rebels attacked his family in Liberia in 2000. Both his parents were killed and he suffered serious head injuries. After the attack, Kokulo's aunt fled to Guinea with Kokulo. They arrived in Brebezou, where Kokulo was treated by a local herbalist. After three months they relocated to N'Zérékoré, seeking better treatment and living conditions. There, the boy was taken to a mental health clinic where staff conducted interviews and psychological examinations. The staff concluded that although Kokulo was healthy physically there were some psychological and development concerns. Our program partner — Today's Women International Network — has provided him with education at its daycare center and Save the Children has included him in its psychosocial activities program. Our field staff, who monitor Kokulo regularly, report that he is improving and doing well. Donate now to support Save the Children's work in the U.S. and around the world