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Lasting success stories from Guinea Bissau

(11 January 2006)

VSO is reluctantly closing its programme in Guinea-Bissau in June 2006 (see below for VSO’s statement on the decision). However, staff and volunteers are working hard to ensure VSO’s impact will last after the programme closes in June 2006 - here are three examples.

Programme closure

(14 February 2005)

During 2004 VSO Guinea Bissau considered carefully whether VSO can make an effective contribution to the development of the country. Volunteers and programme office staff carried out extensive research and VSO Chief Executive Mark Goldring visited the programme in November 2004. The review found that, despite real efforts by local organisations and volunteers, VSO struggles to be effective where there is a lack of resources for volunteers and partner organisations to work with and recommended that VSO Guinea Bissau should end all its work that does not receive external funding. VSO has therefore decided to close its Guinea Bissau country programme between April and June 2006 at the end of the one-year extension of VSO's In Service Teacher-Training programme (INSETT) which the donor, the European Community, has recently approved. Placements planned for INSETT and other areas will continue until this time.

Further investigation of VSO's potential to receive external funding for work in the areas of livelihoods and HIV & AIDS as well as in a possible World Bank funded education programme has shown that VSO cannot be confident of securing suitable funding in any of these areas in the near future.

VSO has worked in Guinea Bissau since 1988, apart from during 2 years of civil war. Guinea Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world and VSO very much regrets withdrawing. VSO staff, volunteers and partners will work to ensure their impact over the coming year will be sustainable.

Security situation

(19 October 2004)

The VSO Guinea-Bissau Programme Office is carefully monitoring security in the country and is in good contact with all volunteers as well as the French and Portuguese Embassies who would offer VSO support if emergency measures were needed. Following a two-day army mutiny in early October sparked by a protest over salary arrears, the military and political situation in Guinea-Bissau remains tense and uncertain.

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