Guinea - Our Projects

In Guinea, our state-wide program is administered from the project office in Conakry.

The focus of our support is on promoting good practice in non-formal education for young people and adults, on the organizational strengthening of the partners and the education dialogue. In all three areas, there are links with other actors in the subregion, such as with Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin.

With twelve NGO partners, basic education projects are being implemented that enable rural people to acquire reading, writing and numeracy skills. Through the primary application of the REFLECT method, other topics geared to the everyday problems of target groups, such as micro-projects, environmental protection, career training, health education and civic education, can be linked effectively to literacy. The strengthening of self-help groups in their organization and the newly acquired knowledge of the learners prepare them to actively participate in local development. Especially in the current political upheaval in Guinea, this aspect plays an important role.

Another focus is the promotion of the newly literate and their active involvement in village and community activities, and the concomitant development of the literate environment. The publication of successful models contribute to the dissemination and reproduction of the strategies.

Proven approaches of the REFLECT method are currently being further developed in a cross-border pilot project in Guinea/Mali, in which new target groups such as young people are addressed and the new issues of vocational qualification and further training are included.

The organizational development of the civil society structures of AE remains our major concern. In addition to the already long-proven tools such as training courses, seminars and specialist publications, new forms of national and sub-regional exchanges have grown in importance. These instruments are supplemented by capacity building through organization analysis and consultation for NGOs. This has, for example, proven to be very effective in Guinea for the restructuring and repositioning of NGOs.

Since its foundation, there has has been a dynamic partnership with the network for literacy (REGA, 2002) and the network of REFLECT practitioners Pamoja Guinea (2004). Both networks have taken the role of interlocutors and intermediaries between the local NGOs/civil society and government services and international partners in the realm of non-formal education. Both networks have also cooperated in the preparation of the National Report for CONFINTEA VI.
With the mandate of the Guinean civil society, a representative of the Pamoja network in the government delegation to CONFINTEA VI participated in Belém. Overall, it must be noted that the dialogue between civil society and the state has improved significantly. The REGA and PAMOJA networks are supported in their advisory roles by the state, which takes an active part in their events.

In 2009, the process of drafting the national policy document for non-formal education and literacy was technically and financially supported by dvv international in collaboration with UNESCO/UIL and UNICEF. In close cooperation with the National Service for Non-formal Education, Literacy and Promotion of Local Languages (SNENFPLNA), it was possible - in a lengthy consultation process with all stakeholders (government, local NGOs and networks, international NGOs and institutions) - to complete and adopt the document by the end of 2009. However, a remaining challenge is that the sector has weak financial resources, with a budget still far below international standards.