In Guinea, Aniké has three main activities: in collaboration with local partners we take care of abandoned children, we assist women during pregnancy and childbirth through providing medical assistance and we put up a fight against female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that unfortunately is still widespread in the West African country.
Did you know that 12 percent of children in Guinea no longer have parents? Aniké wants to give as many as possible a warm home. To this end, we assisted in building an orphanage in a suburb of the capital Conakry. Around 60 children live in that 'maison d’accueil'. In addition, a network of foster families was set up. In exchange for some financial help, these "familles d’accueils" take in orphans. Currently, some 700 children are taken care of in this way.
And it doesn't stop there. Aniké sees education as an important driving force for escaping poverty and assists in providing registration fees for school and school supplies. The children receive medical care when needed and psychosocial support. We give them the opportunity to really be children and we are there for them when they are in need of a talk.
Pregnant women are another vulnerable group in Guinea. We are currently fully engaged in the construction of a maternity in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Women will be able to go there for prenatal counseling, to give birth and to get all possible postnatal care. We will provide all sorts of advice and information, including on how you can prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
We are also active inland in Guinea, for instance by building and supporting local health centers or "postes de santés". Everyone can go there for medical help, not just pregnant women. We try to locate those centers strategically, so that as many people as possible can benefit from them. Not only the inhabitants of the villages where they are situated.
Nearly 97% of all the girls who reach puberty are circumcised in Guinea. Female genital mutilation (FGM), however, is a dangerous practice that can be life threatening. But it is deeply rooted in tradition and superstition and is therefore very difficult to combat.
Aniké believes in a bottom-up approach and has already launched several awareness campaigns in a number of villages. After obtaining permission from the village elders, the issue is discussed during a radio broadcast with animation. We point out the dangers of FGM. Before we leave, we appoint a committee that will continue our work. We do return regularly to follow up on our campaigns.
