Guinea-Bissau - Select a village

Country information

Bissau Gabú Capital: Bissau Area: 36,125 km² Population: 1.2 million (December 2000 est.) Ethnic groups: Balanta, Fulbe, Manjaca, Malinke, Papel, small minority of Cape Verdeans Official language(s): Portuguese Religion(s): indigenous beliefs (65%), Muslim (30%), and Christian (5%). Currency: 1 CFA franc = 100 centimes Our Facilities The idea to construct a SOS Children's Village in Guinea-Bissau was born in 1984. The authorities donated SOS Children's Village International a plot of land in 1988. Construction works of the SOS Children's Village started in 1991. At the same time the construction of the SOS Kindergarten and the SOS School was begun. In May 1994, the first children settled down in the SOS Children's Village Bissau. In June and July the SOS Kindergarten and the SOS Primary School started to operate. After the official opening ceremony of the SOS Children's Village Bissau in 1995 the authorities donated a second plot of land in the provincial town Gabú. As a result of the political and social unrest in 1997/98, however, the beginning of construction works on the second SOS Children's Village in Guinea-Bissau were delayed. In 1998, fighting took place in the vicinity of the SOS Children's Village. Therefore, all children and staff were evacuated immediately, first to the stadium of Bissau and then to a school. Finally, they were taken to the abroad to the SOS Children's Village Bakoteh in Gambia were they were save. They had to stay there for almost a year until the situation in Guinea-Bissau had come back to normal enabling them to move into their homes again. During the civil war an SOS Emergency Relief Programme was carried through for the people who had suffered most during the war. After the war, SOS Children's Village International built three houses for needy families in the vicinity of the village which was especially heavily damaged during the war. (available in Portuguese)