ACF International Network
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Action Against Hunger has developed its water and sanitation expertise over nearly three decades of field work, advancing a number of solutions for populations at risk from water insecurity.
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Central to the targeting of malnutrition, Action Against Hunger extends water and sanitation improvements to communities with little or no access to proper sources.
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Action Against Hunger's programs are sustainable because of our commitment to community participation—to build local capacity and harnesses a population's energy and resources.
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Though strategies may vary, our food security interventions all share a common goal: to fight hunger by preserving and strengthening livelihoods in a sustainable and contextual manner.
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Action Against Hunger’s innovative food security programs offer a broad range of solutions for generating income, boosting food production, and strengthening livelihoods.
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Our comprehensive approach to hunger involves extending water and sanitation services to communities faced with water scarcity, unsafe drinking water, and inadequate sanitation.
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Action Against Hunger occupies a unique place among international organizations: our expertise encompasses emergency relief, longer-term development, and the terrain in between.
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We have developed an effective method to treat acute malnutrition that includes field-tested protocols and nutritional products backed by an international scientific advisory committee.
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Action Against Hunger helps rehabilitate and restock public health infrastructure, fields mobile health clinics, and trains local medical personnel on preventative and diagnostic care.
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Our comprehensive programs address the linkages between disease and malnutrition by coordinating with local expertise and strengthening existing public health systems.
ACF International Map
Where We Work

Guinea
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Guinea faces a serious political and economic crisis that hinders even more the access of population to first need goods. In spite of the fragile situation, the country still shelters about 15,000 refugees from Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Program Information

Directing HQ: 
Action Against Hunger - Spain
Launch Date: 
January 1995
World Region: 
Africa
Location(s): 
N’Zérékoré, Kissidougou, Guéckédou and Conakry
Expatriates: 
6
Local Staff: 
133
Beneficiaries: 
80,000people
Funding: 
UNHCR, BPRM, ECHO, World Food Program, Government of Navarra, Fundación La Caixa, FAO

Humanitarian Context

  • Guinea is one of the poorest countries in Africa (see indicators above). Life expectancy at birth is 48 years and foreign debt stands at $272 million. Major ethnic conflicts exist in the country.
  • Guinea's high level of vulnerability and the absence of an effective state response have made it one of the most unstable countries in the region. The opposition leaders have been suppressed or removed from the political scene.
  • Civilians and refugees are often caught in crossfire between the Guinean army and rebel groups such as the United Revolutionary Front of Sierra Leone, with bases in Guinea, the traditional Kamajoro warriors or the Guinean armed opposition group, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea.
  • Even so, for the past 15 years it has been the 'receiver country' for refugees fleeing the armed conflicts in Southern Africa. It is estimated that there are more than 178,000 people in refugee camps.
  • Conflicts elsewhere in the region contribute to the country's instability. In recent years refugees have arrived from Sierra Leone (30,000), Liberia (45,000) and Ivory Coast (20,000 Liberians and 4,000 Ivory Coast citizens). The serious economic crisis in Ivory Coast (fall of coffee and cocoa prices) has turned one of the most stable countries in the region into the scene of ethnic and religious hatred (Christian-Muslim). In Sierra Leone the trials of the Special Tribunal, which has been attempting to resolve the conflict (one of the bloodiest in Africa) between the government and the United Revolutionary Front since 1991, are still pending. In Liberia, the deployment of blue helmets and the flight of Charles Taylor, one of the warlords, has yet to stop confrontations between pro-Taylor and LURD rebel forces.
  • The presence of refugees leads to numerous armed confrontations and tensions in the border areas. Moreover, guerrilla fighters often conceal themselves in refugee camps.
  • Refugees complain about violations of basic rights, not only by the country's guerrilla groups but also by Guinean civilians (e.g. forcible recruitment of children and use of women to transport munitions and provisions, robbery of civilians, etc.)
  • There is a widespread perception that humanitarian aid, heavily concentrated in refugee camps, in some way 'neglects' the needs of the Guinean population.

Area(s) of Work

Nutrition: 
  • Community projects for local population
  • Awareness-raising and training in nutrition practices
  • Training for health staff on prevention and detection of malnutrition
  • Nutrition surveys
Food Security: 
  • Monitoring of food distribution in refugee camps
  • Income-generating activities
  • Distribution of seeds and farming tools
  • Reforestation programs
  • Agricultural rehabilitation in flooded areas
Water & Sanitation: 
  • Supply of potable water in refugee camps
  • Maintenance of water sources and management of solid waste in refugee camps
  • Construction of latrines
  • Promotion of hygiene habits
  • Sanitation projects in rural areas
  • Contingency plans