16 September 2024

Inoussa Kabore is the new UNICEF Representative to Guinea-Bissau

BISSAU, 16 September 2024, – Inoussa Kabore, MD, MPH, a natural of Burkina Faso, is the new Representative of the United Nations Fund (UNICEF) to Guinea-Bissau. He presented his letter of accreditation today to His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities, Dr Carlos Pin...
10 August 2024

Guinea-Bissau: Improving early learning in poor neighbourhoods

When Nené Mané Anssumane was pregnant she hoped she would have the chance to take her child to kindergarten. “Before my son was born, I watched mothers take their children to the kindergarten and dreamt that one day I would do the same,” says Nené. Education has not been something that Nené took for granted. She ...
21 June 2024

Rescued: Collaborating to save trafficked and abused children

“He was not like this when he left,” says Bubacar Balde, his voice trembling with anger as he points to the scars on his son's face, arms, and hands. "He came back with nothing but torn clothes and worn-out sneakers," the father adds, his frustration evident. At eight years old, Abulai Balde left his home in Pitch...
21 June 2024

"Violence against children: Social Workers in Health Break the Silence"

That morning, the young mother was visibly distraught as she sat beside the bed of her son in the Regional Hospital of Bafata, Guinea Bissau. Her newborn, just two days old, was battling neonatal sepsis, a lifethreatening infection in the bloodstream, and she had no means to afford the necessary medical care. Jus...
20 December 2023

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health

Guinea-Bissau has one of the world’s highest child mortality rates and maternal mortality ratios The death of a child in the first 28 days accounts for 43 per cent of child deaths under the age of 5 years. Guinea-Bissau failed to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for the MMR (300) and, at the current p...
20 December 2023

Integrating safe water, sanitation and hygiene with nutrition to prevent stunting

Over a quarter of children under the age of 5 are irreversibly physically and cognitively stunted caused by chronic malnutrition during the first 1,000 days of their life (conception up to 2 years of age). These children will underperform in school and have low levels of productivity in adult life. This is a trage...
20 December 2023

Improving school enrolment and retention through sport in Guinea-Bissau

Since the year 2000, UNICEF has promoted sport, recreation and play from early childhood to adolescence. Research has shown that Sport for Development is an inclusive way to help children to develop their educational, social and leadership skills, improve their health and wellbeing, and protect their right to play...
20 December 2023

Early learning is a smart investment

The first five years of life are the most important for learning. Young children’s brains grow at a rapid pace with brain connections happening at a startling speed, shaping their cognitive, emotional and social development. During this phase, young children should be busy interacting with their environment and pa...
10 October 2023

Men using their voice to end Female Genital Mutilation

"The men here defend the women," says Maria Augusta Correia with conviction. At 58, Maria is the head of the women's group in the community of Cabaceira, in Tombali, southern Guinea-Bissau, and an advisor to all her companions. She believes that without the support of men, the community, also known as "tabanca", w...
13 June 2023

Guinea-Bissau: A girl’s quest to promote children’s rights

Before going on the stage to give her speech, Djarai Djalo hugged her young friend, Pedro. The 1-year-old boy was crying due to the heat, but Djarai, 17, didn’t seem bothered by the stuffy air in the room. Nor did she seem bothered by the pressure of giving the opening speech on International Children’s Day, June ...
18 December 2019

Justice practices in the village

In many developing countries, traditional or informal justice systems are responsible for the resolution of over 80% of conflicts in a community. These conflict resolution mechanisms play a significant role in rural and urban areas worldwide, addressing matters ranging from local crimes to protection of land and p...
11 December 2019

Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA) Report

This technical report presents the key results of a multidimensional poverty analysis using CC-MODA (cross-country) methodology to identify, locate, and create a profile of children with deprivations in Guinea-Bissau. The analysis uses the MICS5 2014 data to identify the type, level, and overlaps of deprivations w...