Support for Kankan communities
Guinea - Kankan
Support for Conakry communities
Guinea - Conakry
Support for Labé communities
Guinea - Labé
Support for N’Zérékoré communities
Guinea - N'Zérékoré
Guinea
Background and news
Independent since 1958, Guinea has experienced a succession of authoritarian regimes, political instability and repression. In 2010, Alpha Condé became the first democratically elected President. Re-elected in 2015, he modified the Constitution in order to be able to stand for a third time, which triggered a large opposition and led to tensions and demonstrations. The latter are violently repressed, the toll is heavy: dozens of people killed and opponents arrested. In October 2020, Alpha Condé was re-elected but this re-election was contested and on 5 September 2021, he was overthrown by a military coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya.
The new acute political crisis that Guinea is going through is added to strong social tensions in a difficult socio-economic context. Despite its natural and hydrographic resources (known as the “water tower of Africa”) and its under-exploited mining potential, Guinea ranks 178th out of 189 in the UNDP’s 2020 Human Development Index.
The economic and social crises of the late 2000s, the political instability until 2013 and then the Ebola epidemic (2014-2016) have had a lasting effect on the economy and living conditions of the Guinean population. 55.2% of the population live below the national poverty line and there are major disparities between urban centres and rural areas. Access to drinking water, sanitation and medical care remains a challenge. Extreme poverty primarily affects women and children and unemployment affects about 40% of young people.
In 2020, the situation was further aggravated by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the crises it caused, and in early 2021, the country experienced a second Ebola epidemic.
Since May 2022, chronic tensions have been observed, especially in Conakry, in connection with this transition, with several political and civil society actors dissatisfied with the way the transition is proceeding. The situation has led to protests and has had economic and social consequences. The vote on a new constitution and the transfer of power to elected civilians, expected in 2024, have not taken place.
Economically, Guinea has seen a surge in the purchase prices of basic necessities and a significant decline in the purchasing power of low-income populations. This situation has persisted since the increase in the price of fuel at the pump following the terrible fire at the main fuel depot in Kaloum (Conakry) in December 2023. This major industrial accident affected thousands of people and had long-term socio-economic, health and environmental impacts.
The draft of the new Constitution, written by a committee of experts, was made public on 30 June 2025. This text, which is intended to mark a return to constitutional order, will be put to the Guinean people in a referendum on 21 September 2025. It could pave the way for General Mamadi Doumbouya, the current transitional president, to run for president. After the referendum, a presidential election must be held before the end of the year, announced the ruling military junta, which is regularly accused of repressing freedoms. The opposition, which is calling for a return to civilian rule, has rejected this draft Constitution. (Le Monde, July 2025)
The situation of children
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified on 13 July 1990 by the Guinean government. In January 2013, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child noted the country’s efforts. The government has enacted a Children’s Code (which contradicts customary law). However, in general, a comprehensive policy on children is still in its infancy.
Children’s rights continue to be affected by socio-economic and political crises. Although the country has ratified major international conventions, efforts to translate these commitments into concrete action remain insufficient. In 2024, the country is ranked 185th out of 193 nations by the Kids Rights Index, reflecting serious shortcomings in terms of the protection and respect of children’s rights. Violence and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation are still widespread, affecting 45% and 92% of girls and women respectively. These constitute violations of the rights of women and children. (2024 Annual Report of SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea, January 2025)
In terms of education, much progress remains to be made, especially as the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the educational situation to deteriorate, while the literacy rate for those aged 15 and over was already below 40% (27.7% for girls). Among 15-24 year olds, it was 53.9%: 43.5% (girls) and 69.6% (boys).
(Sources: Human Development Report 2020, UNDP / The State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2019 / UNESCO Institute for Statistics (ISU) – Guinea, 2018 / SOS Children’s Villages Guinea Annual Report 2020 / Le Bilan du Monde – 2020 & 2021 editions)
SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea
SOS Children’s Villages began its work in Guinea in the 1980s, at a time when the country was strengthening its social policy in favour of children. Its activities intensified as civil wars ravaged Sierra Leone and Liberia, with SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea committing to helping its neighbours.
In the 2010s, in response to the Ebola epidemic, SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea took steps to protect the beneficiaries of its facilities and, in early 2015, launched a one-year emergency aid programme in Conakry, N’Zérékoré, Coyah and Forécariah, followed by a post-emergency transition phase (December 2015-May 2016).
In 2020, in response to the pandemic and the Covid-19 crisis, which have had a negative impact on the living conditions of vulnerable communities, joint measures were taken by the four PACOPE partner countries to meet new needs, protect families from the spread of the virus and strengthen community structures. In Guinea, measures were put in place to prevent the spread of the virus, raise awareness among communities, distribute hygiene kits, provide economic support to families, support students and raise awareness among families about their return to school, which was essential after months of school closures that affected nearly three million students.
After managing educational facilities for many years (three kindergartens, three primary schools and three secondary schools), the association transferred around 50 classrooms to the Guinean government through a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Ministry of Pre-University Education and Literacy as part of the implementation of its Ten-Year Education Programme in Guinea 2020-2029.
(Annual Report 2021-2022, SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea).
Recently, SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea developed a national development strategy for 2023-2027 with the aim of providing quality care and support to vulnerable children and young people. In addition, thanks to capacity building, its employees (138, including 55 women in 2024) have been trained in child protection policy.
Currently, the association supports thousands of children, young people and adults in Conakry, Kankan, Labé and N’Zérékoré through three alternative care programmes (in 2024, 178 children, including 71 girls, were involved, and 7 young people reintegrated into their families) that are moving towards a diversification of services offered, specific programmes for young people (with an emphasis on empowerment), advocacy actions for child protection, and four Community Support Programmes for Child Protection and Child Protection Systems (PACOPE-SPE).
Implemented in 53 neighbourhoods and villages across nine municipalities in Conakry (2), Kankan (2), Labé (2) and N’Zérékoré (3), these programmes reached 835 direct beneficiary families, 3,385 children (1,623 girls), 292 young people supported in finding employment, 53 Child Protection Committees (1,046 members), 53 Children’s Clubs (899 members) and 114 Village Savings and Loan Associations (2,836 members).
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Among the 2024 activities of SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea, we can mention the third edition of the ‘Holiday Campus’, which trained 30 children and young people, including 12 girls, in the areas of leadership, communication, ICT and financial education. In addition, 15 young people took part in programmes tailored to the requirements of the job market to help them integrate into society and the world of work.
On the environmental front, as part of the ‘Youth Power’ initiative, which integrates community initiatives for child protection and climate change awareness while strengthening young people’s involvement in protecting their environment, young people planted 200 trees in N’Zérékoré and developed a three-hectare green space in Kankan.
Finally, as part of the international network ‘Joining Forces’ in Guinea (a partnership between Plan International, Child Fund, Terre des Hommes and SOS Children’s Villages in Guinea), collective actions have been defined to improve child protection and strengthen access to essential services.