The project takes place in the Cacheu region, in the villages on the border with Senegal that over the years have welcomed thousands of refugees from the conflict that has characterized the nearby region of Casamance.
Almost 11,300 Senegalese refugees fled to Guinea-Bissau a few decades ago to escape the armed conflict between the regular army of Senegal and the rebels of the MFDC (Movement of the Democratic Forces of Casamance). They fled from war and therefore from death and destruction, but it cannot be said that they arrived in a stable context both from a political and socio-economic point of view: Guinea-Bissau, with a population of about 1.5 million inhabitants , in fact, ranks at the bottom of the Human Development Index. This means that about half of the population is forced to live below the poverty line ($ 1.25 / day).
Now many of the longtime refugees have been naturalized and thus become citizens of Guinea-Bissau but a number of problems remain. One of these is the lack of respect for women’s rights and the spread of episodes of gender-based violence: domestic violence, sexual and psychological abuse, early marriages, unavailability of resources and economic deprivation are among the problems that characterize the area. There is a lack of protected mechanisms to allow victims to report situations of this type, there are no support programs and there are few centers throughout the country where women victims of violence can be protected and assisted.
Sao Domingos, Guinea-Bissau
Cacheu, Guinea-Bissau
The project aims to foster a quality response to women victims of gender-based violence by providing them with a protected place, psychological assistance and professional training for their reintegration into society in collaboration with a local association in São Domingos.
Project Details
Country
Guinea Bissau,
Location
Cacheu Region,
recipients
30 women victims of gender-based violence (both national and refugee and naturalized)
The project has as its main activity the renovation, expansion, furnishing and subsequent use of a reception center in Sâo Domingos (Guinea-Bissau) for women victims of violence. Once the work has been completed and the staff who will follow the center have been trained, up to a maximum of 30 guests will be welcomed with whom to carry out the following activities:
Supply of a first welcome kit (clothes, food, hygiene products) and provision of an emergency fund for medical treatment;
Psycho-social assistance through the organization of group and individual meetings and sessions with social workers and psychologists;
Realization of professional training courses in activities such as tailoring, dyeing of clothes, soap making. If necessary, training sessions in functional literacy are also provided.