Africare/Guinea

Africare began operations in Guinea in 1987.

In more than 20 years in the country, Africare/Guinea implemented projects addressing…

•Agriculture & Food Security                                                                                •Civil Society Capacity Building                                                                           •Maternal and Child Health                                                                                  •Rural Road Maintenance                                                                                   •Urban Waste Removal                                                                                        •Women’s Empowerment

Following a decision by the United States Agency for International Development to downsize its investment in the country, Africare made the difficult decision to close its office in Guinea in 2008.           

Africare in Guinea Today:

Africare is still registered in Guinea, is well-known and has been respected by the successive governments over the years.

Mining is the most important source of income and exports in Guinea, and the forest region of the country has iron deposits which are among the highest quality in the world.

Africare/Vale Partnership

In 2012, Africare was approached by Vale, a mining company operating in the country, for a project targeting villages directly surrounding its area of operations. In January 2013, Africare and Vale signed a contract for the design and management of a one year, $1.2 million integrated development project.

In February, with $95,000 of funding from Vale, Africare conducted a needs assessment in 11 villages surrounding Vale’s mines, and in March, Africare submitted to Vale a detailed needs assessment report and a proposal to address the problems found. Key staff for the project has also been identified, and Africare is now awaiting feedback from Vale on project implementation.

The strategic relevance of this opportunity lies in the facts that it is an opportunity to engage a new donor and an opportunity to return to a country at no cost to Africare.