Child sponsorship update from Bissau, Guinea Bissau

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Bissau, Guinea Bissau from Summer 2008

Dear sponsor,

As usual we would like to share with you some information on our SOS Village in Guinea-Bissau (Guinea Bissau Children’s Villages), which carries on its work thanks to your generous contribution, providing shelter to poor and orphaned children needing support, affection and protection.

The new technical high school has been operating since last October. Fifteen SOS boys and 12 girls attend school taking courses on information technology and communication, computing, civil construction and management. Its management organised, in collaboration with Bissau SOS Children’s Village, the first teaching Forum whose main objective is to enable the sharing of information with SOS mothers on SOS children’s school progress.

Fourteen SOS boys aged 14-17 live at the Youth Village under the supervision of a Youth Leader, an assistant and a social worker. Regular meetings are held involving youths and the Village management to provide counselling, career guidance and encouragement regarding the former integration in society.

Forty two SOS youths aged between 19-20, of whom 20 girls and 22 boys have undergone partial re-unification with their biological relatives and continue to receive material and academic support, scholarships and medical assistance from the SOS programme. Among these youths, five of them have benefited from a scholarship to study abroad; three are in Brazil, one in Cuba and the other one in Senegal. Additional steps are being taken by the National Office in the search for scholarships for youths that have finished secondary school with grades from 16/20 upwards.

SOS children took part in carnival festivities last February. Children from the SOS Nursery School came in third place.

Community support for children in Bissau

On 8 March, International Women’s Day, each village organised meetings centred on the theme “Women’s Rights in Society” and the mains guest was the Chairman of the Human Rights League, who presided over the meeting with Bissau SOS Village mothers. The ceremony was followed by a lunch organised by the Village for SOS mothers in company of SOS children.

Guinea-Bissau faces currently a deep shortage of electricity, water and foodstuffs. Nonetheless, SOS Guinea-Bissau has been able, thanks to your generous donations, to build water points in each Village. Neighbouring populations have been able to accede to this precious liquid, which has been scarce for months not to say for years because water distribution by the public utility is irregular. One can see from early morning long queues in front of water fountains built by SOS. Even SOS workers that do not live at the village, come to the fountains to supply themselves with water.

SOS Guinea-Bissau has taken hygiene measures and forbade trips during school vacation for SOS children in the wake of the government’s official announcement of a cholera outbreak in the south of the country. We are now in the rainy season and these extend or worsen the impact of this epidemic.

Local child sponsors again offered food items and other products to the houses they sponsor over Christmas. Cuban doctors from the National Simao Mendes Hospital provided free of charge a special medical check to all SOS children, mothers, aunts and the remaining staff.

The SOS week was celebrated in different SOS facilities through discussions between SOS youths, the community, and teachers. Mothers organises meetings with workers from some NGOs and exhibited embroidery and other needlework during the SOS week. A friendly meeting was then organised involving SOS youths and the neighbouring community.

We thank you very much for your generous contribution to the benefit of our children and wish you good health and plenty of happiness in the company of your beloved ones