“Excellent work!” “Job well done!!” “The best
conference I’ve ever seen!” These are just a few of
the comments I received about this year’s Girls’
Conference. I was able to attend the opening day
session of the Conference in Boke. How wonderful to
see young women so engaged in talking about their
lives and creating a better future for themselves. It
was heart-warming and inspiring. I look forward to
attending next year in another region. And two final
thank you’s: One to the Friends of Guinea for raising
over $7,000 for the Conference and the other to the
professional Guinean women who participated. We
couldn’t have been a success without you.

- Lisa Ellis, in Guinea PCV newsletter

On behalf of more than 70 young Guinean women who participated in the 2003 Guinea Regional Girls Conferences, thank you Friends of Guinea for your outstanding support and contribution! We have received numerous Thank You letters from participants (soon to be on the FOG Girls Conference web page) - one message is clear: Sincere gratitude and appreciation for all your support!

The following is provided to summarize the status of the Girls Conference fund raising activities: From September 2002 to February 2003, the Friends of Guinea 2003 Girls' Conferences Fund Raising Committee raised $12,025.35 to support the 2003 Guinea Regional Girls Conferences. On January 15, 2003, $7,227.93 of these funds were donated to the Girls Conferences through the Peace Corps Partnership Program, leaving a remaining $4797.42, which will be save and contributed to the 2004 Girls' Conferences fund raising efforts.

Four main fund raising strategies employed to raise these funds were: RPCV Calendar Sales, Family and Community Outreach, Girls' Conferences Fund Raiser Party, and Guinea Cloth Auction. Information about the Girls' Conference fund raising was disseminated via e-mail, including the FOG listserve, oral communication, and telephone conversations. Seven
volunteers among FOG members made up the Fund Raising Committee and contributed
their time, effort, and resources to the fund raising effort.

Of the $12,025.35 fund raised, $1007.17 was raised through calendar sales and $716 was raised through the Girls' Conference Fund Raiser Party. The remaining $10,302.00 was raised through individual donations. A significant portion of this amount may be attributed to Family and Community Outreach, but we were unable to track donations of this kind this year. Several
community organizations and schools donated funds raised through their own fund raising efforts to the Girls' Conferences, and the Fund Raising Committee is currently following up with these organizations to coordinate a RPCV visit to their agency to discuss the Girls' Conferences most in depth and encourage their continued support.

Clearly, given the enormous amount of support the Girls' Conferences received this year, the Girls' Conferences Project is recognized as an extremely valuable and worthwhile event that many people choose to sustain. Look for the Girls Conference Fund Raising Committee again this fall, when we kick off efforts for the 2004 Girls Conferences - we hope you will join us!

Boké

All of the sessions were successful and informative. The girls participated in several discussions about topics that concerned them, their health, and their futures. They left with invaluable health information, a list of short and long-term goals, career ideas and a clearer idea of their rights as women in Guinea. Overall, the sessions were well received and appreciated by the girls. From the evaluation forms it is clear that the excision session had a huge impact on them; most of the girls were very adamant that they would never put their daughters through that experience.

The community participation was invaluable and made the conference the success that it was. The professional women who came to share their life stories encouraged the girls with their words and by their examples. The guest speakers were passionate and excited which was contagious and captured the girls' attention. The collaboration and dedication of the volunteers kept the logistics of the conference in order. The highlight of the conference was the parade through Boké in honor of International Women's Day. The evening of March 8th (International Women's Day) we organized a march through the streets of Boké. It included the girls, volunteers and professional women, all wearing Girls Conference t-shirts. Traditional drummers accompanied us as the girls sang an original song about women's rights and danced in the street in recognition of International Women's Day. We ended the march at the Cultural Center where the women and officials of Boké were celebrating. This year's Girls Conference was well organized, informative and fun. The girls left with important information on all the themes that we presented and created an action plan to share the information with their communities upon their return. I know that our conference was only so successful because of the contributions of local community members and guest speakers from surrounding towns and cities. The girls’ conferences are a great project. Hopefully they will continue to improve each year and the level of community involvement will continue to increase. This project was one of the greatest things I've done as a Peace Corps volunteer.

- PCV Carrie Wilson

Kankan
The sixth annual Girls Conference held at the University Julius Nyrere in Kankan, Haute Guinea, was (as always) a success. For this year's conference, Haute volunteers assembled twenty-four girls from all over the region. These young women spent four days participating in discussions, informational sessions, individual activities and team-building games designed to encourage and inspire them to make positive choices for their futures.

While Peace Corps volunteers planned and led many activities at the conference, including sessions on effective study habits, STI/HIV prevention, and the importance of staying n school, it was the participation of many groups and individuals that made the conference run smoothly. Local NGOs PRISM and PSI presented sensibilisations and theater sketches centered on the issues of sexual health. Kankan's friend of volunteers and director of La Clinique Ebene/Ivoire, Dr. Sidibe, spoke on anatomy, puberty, and excision from a medical professional's perspective. Peace Corps' own Kadiatou Sow served as a mentor for the girls throughout the conference, and several University of Kankan female students were present to offer their perspective. Movies pertaining to sex education and literacy were shown to the girls, and a computer skills session led with the help of local APROFIG peer trainers, all of which served to add a multimedia dimension to the Conference.

For recreation and relaxation, the girls were treated to a yoga session and some basketball and soccer playing. The movies The Lion King and Titanic were shown in French for Saturday and Sunday evening entertainment. A final banquet of dinner, dancing and presentation of awards closed the Conference.

With their Action Plan for sharing the knowledge they had gained during the four days of discussion, exploration, reflection and learning in hand, the girls left Kankan with memories that they will look back on forever.

-PCV Emilie Sayre

Labe
Having finished the fifth regional Girls' Conference held in the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea, we are very satisfied with the outcome of this project. We are confident that the participants gained a wealth of knowledge during the four days of sessions. We noticed marked changes in the attitudes and confidence of many of the girls, who are now very motivated to take what they learned at the conference back to their villages and spread what they learned. The girls are now equipped and motivated to train and become role models in their respective villages. They are armed with information on female health, behavior modification, study skills, professional skills, etc. Not only have the perspectives of these girls been changed, but they will also be able to change the perspectives of friends and colleagues. At the very least, these 25 girls will have spent 6 days learning that the life of women in Guinea can be more than a mother and maid. With the odds so severely stacked against them, girls are not encouraged or shown incentives to become more than a docile servant. But we spent these days giving them hope and giving them the incentives that they hear so rarely at home.

-PCV Jake Kelly

When? March 2003

How much? $8000 for 4 conferences

Where? Boke, Lower Guinea; Labe, Middle Guinea (including Fouta Djalon); and Kankan, Upper Guinea

Who? Girls age 13 to 20 who are students in middle or high school are invited, with an allowance of about 30 girls per conference; 90-100 total.

For more information:
Contact Anne Redmond (fundraising coordinator) at [email protected].

What are these Girls Conferences anyway?

What is the Girls Conference and how was it started?

The Peace Corps' Gender and AIDS Development (GAAD) Committee in Guinea is composed of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) who are committed to supporting activities that foster the equal participation and treatment of all members of society. The GAAD Committee's main philosophy is that education is the key to women's empowerment. To date, the biggest and most effective project related to Gender Consciousness and Equity that has been executed by GAD in Guinea are the Annual Regional Girls' Conferences.

In 1997, Peace Corps Volunteers in the Forest Region of Guinea organized and facilitated a conference for girls to provide a forum for self-expression and the exchange of ideas and experiences, in the hopes of encouraging them to pursue their studies and to consider options beyond traditional village life.

In 1998, Guinea PCV's expanded the conference, so that it would not only take place in the Forest but also in Upper Guinea. Building on their success, Girls' Conferences were then held in all four regions of the country in 1999 and 2000 (Forest, Upper, Lower, and Middle Guinea regions). Due to political problems in the Forest Region, Peace Corps Guinea has withdrawn from the area since the end of the year 2000, which explains why the Girls' Conferences were held in only three of the four regions in Guinea in 2001. In 2002, the Girls Conferences were held in the same three regions. With the support of Friends of Guinea and the Peace Corps Partnership Program, over $7,000 was raised to support these conferences.

The Peace Corps' Regional Girls' Conferences have become very well known throughout Guinea, and the young Guinean girls are already eagerly anticipating the event in 2003. This years fund raising goal is $8,000 - support a young girls attendance today!

Who is invited to attend the Conference?

Girls age 13 to 20 who are students in middle or high school are invited by local community members to attend the Regional Girls' Conferences. Each conference reaches about 30 girls in each region, totaling to 90-100 participants in the 3 regions. The girls come from every Prefecture, Sous-prefecture, and District where there are Peace Corps Volunteers.

What the Conference Goals? Activities?

The overall goal of the Regional Girls' Conferences are to empower the young women of Guinea and inspire change, not only in those directly affected, but also in their families, friends, classmates, and communities. The conference activities are based on various topics, including education and literacy; career; health and community development; and skills development. Workshops are geared towards the specific participant interests of each region, and intend to mix educational and social opportunities.

How do we know the Girls Conference makes a difference?

During the conferences, where the atmosphere is open, participants are very enthusiastic about being there and learning new things. One PCV reflect on how the Girl's Conference made a difference in one girl's life:
"Upon her return from the Labe Girls Conference (2002), Hawao started a bi-weekly girls club. She spoke to her peers about the conference and facilitated discussions about the topics covered during the conference workshops, including women's health and female genital mutilation."