Where We Work
Guinea-Bissau
Population: 1,968,000 (2020 estimates)
Capital: Bissau
Number of communities currently implementing the CEP: 120
Location of Tostan country coordination offices: Bissau and Bafatá
Languages used in the CEP: Creole, Fulani, Mandinka
Regions where we work: Bafatá
Sectors where we work: Bafatá, Bambadinca, Contuboel, Cosse, Ganadu, Xitole
Partners: Government of Guinea-Bissau, CODEDIC, Wellfound, National Committee for the Abandonment of Harmful Traditional Practices, ECAS-D (Community Structure for Animation and Sensitization for Development), Embassy of the United States of America, Policy Experimentation & Evaluation Platform.
The Community Empowerment Program (CEP) was first launched in Guinea-Bissau in 2008. Since 2008, a total of 239 communities have directly implemented the CEP, including 119 communities from 2008-2019 and 120 since 2020.
We currently implement the program in 120 communities in all 6 sectors (districts) of the region of Bafatá as part of Scaling Wellbeing. Scaling Wellbeing is a partnership between Tostan, communities in the Bafatá Region of Guinea-Bissau and the Regional Government of Bafatá. The program will be realized in 72 Fula-speaking communities, 36 Mandinga-speaking, and 13 Creole-speaking villages. There are 17 centers in the Bafatá Sector, 23 in Bambadinca, 19 in Contuboel, 20 in Cosse, 21 in Ganadu, and 20 in Xitole.
At the start of 2022, there were 8,740 participants in the Tostan centers in the communities, with 73% women and girl participants.
From 2013-2020, 90 communities have implemented the Peace and Security Project, including 30 communities 2019-2020 through the project: USAID Unaam Kayraay project with Partners Global. In 2009-2010, four CEP communities in Guinea-Bissau participated in Tostan’s Solar Power! Project, in partnership with Barefoot College in India, to bring sustainable solar energy to remote villages.
Strengthening the democratic space and civic engagement in Guinea-Bissau:
One of the most important support structures communities can draw on are their local government representatives. Tostan works directly with governments at the local, district, and regional level so that they better understand the needs of communities, and their responsibilities towards them.
In 2022, Tostan conducted training with 83 local officers in Guinea-Bissau, reinforcing their understanding of their roles and responsibilities with regards to the communities they serve.
KEY METRICS
Guinea-Bissau
Population: 1,833,247 (July 2018 estimates)
Capital: Bissau
Number of communities currently implementing the CEP: 40
Location of Tostan country coordination office: Bissau
Languages used in the CEP: Creole, Fulani, Mandinka
Regions where we work: Bafatá, Gabu, Oio
Sectors where we work: Contuboel, Ganadu, Mansaba, Farim, Pirada, Sonaco
Partners: Government of Guinea-Bissau, Regional and Local Administrations of Bafatá, Gabu, and Oio, UNICEF, UNFPA, Embassy of the United States of America, USAID, Associação para Desenvolvimento Local (APRODEL), Partners Global, Partners West Africa.
We have been implementing our Community Empowerment Program (CEP) in Guinea-Bissau since 2008, and we currently implement the program in 40 communities in three regions. In 2018-2019, 30 communities are actively doing social mobilization activities as part of the Peace and Security module in post-CEP communities, through the USAID Unaam Kayraay project with Partners Global. In 2009-2010, four CEP communities in Guinea-Bissau participated in Tostan’s Solar Power! Project, in partnership with Barefoot College in India, to bring sustainable solar energy to remote villages. Over the course of 2018, Community Management Committees (CMC) in Guinea-Bissau organized 924 community clean-up days, and CEP participants adopted 2,541 learners to share knowledge learned during class as part of the organized diffusion method.
