The Girls' Conference is a 4-5 day retreat for middle and high school age girls in the regional capitals (Boke, Mamou, and Kankan) that focuses on

1. Personal/ reproductive health, especially FGM female genital mutilation) and HIV/AIDS prevention,
2. Professional and educational opportunities, including contact with professional women of their communities, and
3. Self-awareness and self-esteem, using Peace Corps' "Life Skills" model.

In addition, there are sessions on computers, the environment, sports, yoga, and literature.

The Boys' Conference is a 3 day retreat for middle and high school age boys that takes place in Mamou and focuses on

1. Education and professionalism
2. Creating positive and supportive relationships with women
3. AIDS, STDs and reproductive health

It also includes sessions on environmental issues and public speaking.

Former volunteers say that the conferences are pivotal parts of their experience and work in Guinea-- from the work involved in the organization to the change they see in the young women from their communities.

We highly recommend you check out Angela Curry, Brian Buehler, and Sam Wu's presentation on Boys' Conference 2006 (PDF, 825K ).

Please contact Claire Lea, FOG Projects Officer, at projects @ friendsofguinea.org with any questions you might have.

Has this been done before?

The first Girls' Conference took place in 1997 in the Forest Region of Guinea and was repeated in both the Forest and Upper Guinea regions in 1998. Building on their success, Girls' Conferences were held in all four regions of the country in 1999 and 2000 (Forest, Upper, Lower, and Middle Guinea regions). Although political problems in the Forest Region in 2001 kept it from continuing its tradition, the three other regions have held Girls' Conferences annually since 1999.

In 2002, Friends of Guinea and the Peace Corps Partnership Program raised over $7,000 to support these conferences, and in 2003, FOG helped raise over $10,000. The 2004 conferences were supported through outside donors. Each year, the conferences get better.

Peace Corps volunteers hosted the first Boys' Conference in January 2004 when 20 Guinean middle and high school students from across the country met in Mamou with 21 PCVs and 6 Guinean mentors. The great success of that conference led to the Boys' Conference of 2005.

The Peace Corps' Regional Girls' and Boys' Conferences have become very well known throughout Guinea, and the young Guinean girls and boys are already eagerly anticipating next year's event.

Reports and Documents

• 2006 PCPP Proposal (PDF only); 2006 PCPP Budget (Excel)
• 2005 PCPP Proposal
• 2004 Conference Report
• 2003 Conference Report; 2003 FOG Fundraising Report; 2003 Girls Conferences webpage
• 2002 Conference Report; 2002 Girls Conferences webpage
• 2001 Conference Report; 2001 Girls Conference webpage

Who is invited to attend?

Middle or high school girls and boys ages 13 to 20 from every prefecture, sous-prefecture, or district where Peace Corps volunteers serve are invited by local community members to attend the Gender Conferences. About 30 girls in each region participate in Girls' Conference, and about 30 boys participate in the three-day Boys' Conference. Every conference is mentored by tens of Guinean professional men and women, so in total, over 200 boys, girls and professionals participate in these conferences each year.

"I learned that HIV/AIDS is a fatal disease. I want to be a doctor in the future." -Kadé Savané, 8th grade, Collège de Tokounou, Upper Guinea

"I decided that if I have a child that I would not excise her."
-Fanta Cissé, 8th grade, Collège de Cisséla, Upper Guinea

"This conference completely changed my mentality and I learned that HIV/AIDS is a disease that threatens the entire world."
-Fatoumata Binta Diallo, 9th grade, Collège de Koundara

2004 Conferences

My name is Mariama Touré Diallo. I am 14 years old and I am in the 10th grade in Koundara High School. I was chosen by my Peace Corps volunteer, Brad Lyon, from our prefecture to come to Boké and participate in the 7th Girls’ Conference that occurs annually in this region. I learned many things during this conference such as how to deal with STIs and AIDS, the dangers of female circumcision, family planning methods and how to avoid undesired pregnancies, etc. This conference that you (the donors) finance each year taught me many things and has given me the motivation to share all that I have learned with my friends, family and community members. I thank you again for this gift that you have made voluntarily. I thank you 1000 times.
--Mariama Touré Diallo, 10ème, Lycée de Koundara

“We liked this conference because it gave us much knowledge about our lives and the lives of our friends. We learned about the importance of schooling, study habits, women’s rights, relationships, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, how to be a professional woman, excision, journaling, environmental education, unwanted pregnancies, family planning, sports, computers, and nutrition. We will transfer this knowledge that we learned during this young women’s conference to the young women who did not have the chance to participate, as well as the women and men in our village. We thank all the donors who gave us the chance to gain this knowledge. We encourage you in the work that you do for us.”
--Mariame Maty Camara (10th grade)
Anna Keita (10th grade)/Kankan

“Oumou Touré was very motivated to hold informal sensibilisations after Girls’ Conference. She invited 10 girlfriends to talk about HIV/AIDS, depigmentation, and excision. Several older neighbors listened in, and Oumou hopes that her girlfriends will confidently educate their peers. Oumou had to quit school this year because she has a child, but she swears that she will repeat the 8th grade next year and do her best in spite of the challenges of being a teenage mother. She’s sold on the importance of education.”
--Carrie Mitchell, PCV-Public Health in Boké, Basse-Guinée

“[Since taking my girl to Girls Conference]...Fanta SAGNO has been highly motivated. She said to me at school one day, “Monsieur, I am coming to your house today at 16H00.” I said, “OK.” She came and said, “Monsieur, the people are ready for the sensibilisation.” Surprised, I followed her. She and the PRISM representative in my village had independently arranged a sensibilisation for the youth in Cisséla, particularly girls who did not attend school. They gave a sensibilisation in Malinké to about 12 girls and 6 boys. It went very well and Fanta spoke without reservation. A few days later, Fanta and the PRISM representative arranged a similar sensiblisation for the whole middle school (without my help). Thank you Girls Conference!”
--Michael Milligan, PCV-Physics in Cisséla, Haute-Guinée

“I have seen an enormous change in Rougiata with regards to her confidence and participation in class. Whereas before, she rarely raised her hand to participate, she now is one of the strongest female participants in the class that I teach (biology). Additionally, Rougui has thanked me for the conference because it has given her insight into her rights and responsibilities with regards to marriage. The week following the conference, Rougui came to me with the news that she was to be married the following Friday. This came as a complete shock to her. She had been promised to this man since 6th grade, but had always thought that the wedding was way in the future, after she had finished her studies. Although the decision for the marriage was out of her hands, Rougui used the knowledge gained from the conference to make a list of conditions for her new husband. She wanted to talk to him about her finishing school (even university) before having kids, family planning, getting him tested for HIV, etc. She truly used the information and skills gained from the conference to make the best of her situation.”
--Kristi Thane, PCV-Public Health in Koïn, Moyenne-Guinée

2002 Conferences

I had the privilege of being the Peace Corps Director in Guinea from 1996 - 2000 and I sincerely believe that the Girls Conferences are absolutely the very best thing I've ever seen Peace Corps do - and I'm talking with 20+ years of Peace Corps experience as a PCV, APCD, PCD and PST trainer. I am absolutely convinced that many of these young women find the conferences a life-changing experience and that in the not-too-distant future, we will see these women in positions of responsibility and power. That would be reason enough to support the conferences. But above and beyond the positive impact on these girls' lives, I know that the conferences also transform the attitudes and behaviors of many other people too - parents, teachers, local authorities, host families, Guinean women mentors, Peace Corps staff, etc. I have two examples for you: I was at the Governor's office in Labé with PCVs who were finalizing arrangements for some girls to "shadow" the Governor's secretary for a day. The Governor said " Why have them follow the secretary around? Have them follow me because why shouldn't they aim to be a Governor - and more!" The second example is a little closer to "home": One of the Peace Corps drivers was so impressed by the Girls Conferences that he came to me and asked if his daughter could go to one of them. We made the arrangements and she wrote an impressive report afterwards about what the conference had meant to her. - Kathy Tilford

 

"Dear Friends of Guinea, It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that we write you this thank you letter about your great effort and the help you provided for us Guinean girls. We sincerely thank you and the Americans from the US Peace Corps. You provided us with the opportunity to enrich our knowledge because we attended sessions that interested us a lot during this Fifth Seminar for Young Women in the Fouta Djalon. These sessions included gender roles, sexual harassment, excision, depigmentation, sports, unwanted pregnancy, STDs/STIs, HIV/AIDS, etc. We learned about these things by doing different activities like models, skits, discussions with professional women and university students; and we did our own session on how to inform local students. Now with the subjects we have learned, we can help our families, our community, and our classmates thanks to you -- the Americans who helped us and supported us. Please realize that this seminar was important to us and met our satisfaction. We enjoyed all of the sessions of the seminar. Thank you. -- by the young women of Gaoual: Fatoumata Dialo Sow, 10th grade, 16 years old and Fayelle Ly, 9th grade, 16 years old"

 

"Dear Friends and Supporters, I would like to thank you as well. I think my girls have done a great job explaining their appreciation, but I just wanted to add that being here, watching these young women work and learn was a treat. For them to have this opportunity was an experience of a lifetime. They had a chance to be the center of attention and realize their importance and capability of helping their classmates and communities. Again I thank you for your support. Witnessing the success of the conference and the way the girls responded was a real gift. They will never forget their conference in Boké. Sincerely, Sara Prudent, PCV English teacher in Gaoual"

 

"Dear Donors, The Girls' Conferences are now finished. We are all thoroughly exhausted, but the conferences were a great success! I believe that the lives of some of the girls were truly affected. The changes will be small, but we are laying the foundation for the future empowerment of women Thanks to your generous contribution, the 4th annual Girls' Conference in Labé, Guinea was a big success. Peace Corps Volunteers brought 31 middle school and high school girls from towns and villages in the Fouta Djalon region of Guinea to the regional capital, Labé, for five days of fun-filled, informative sessions intended to educate and inspire the young women. Women and girls in Africa, and especially in Guinea, have a tough time because of the many obstacles they must overcome in order to be successful. Gender equality is one of the problems stifling development in Guinea. The goal of this conference was to empower these impressionable girls, to boost their self confidence, and to give them tools to educate their peers back in the villages. We can honestly say that our goals were very successfully met. The conference began with a good turnout of Guinea government officials, US Embassy officials, and members of the Peace Corps administration. The sessions over the next few days were led by Peace Corps Volunteers and professional Guinean women from the community. All the girls this year were attentive, enthusiastic; and participation was great. We are proud of all the girls and are sure we made a positive, sustainable impact on their lives. We could not have done this without your help. Thanks again for helping us make a difference in these girls' lives, and thank you for your continued support of Peace Corps' projects. Sincerely, The Peace Corps Volunteers of the Fouta Djalon region in the Republic of Guinea"

 

"Dear Sponsors and Organizers, It is a great pleasure to present myself to you. My name is Fatoumata Sampou and I am from Kankan. I am a student in the last year of High School, studying Social Sciences. I participated in the fifth Girls' Conference of Upper Guinea, which allowed me to meet many other girls from my region. At the conference, we had a lot of sessions, but what impressed me the most was the one concerning HIV/AIDS because it allowed us to realize that AIDS does in fact exist and how we can avoid it as well as other STDs. Also, the session on Family Planning which informed us on the methods of contraception in order to avoid STDs and unwanted pregancies. At the conference, I participated in debates concerning the subjects that were presented which gave all of us participants an opportunity to share our ideas with the other girls. The seminar was very participatory and interactive. Thanks to this seminar, as soon as I return home I will be able to inform my friends, brothers, sisters, and relatives so that they too can avoid the negative consequences of the diseases and problems that are all around us. I thank you for the effort you have made for the success of this seminar and I inform you that I am very appreciative. Best wishes and thanks again. Fatoumata Sampou"

 

"This is a really important project. My son, PCV Matthew Edwardsen, talked about this one as being one of the really great things that he has participated in. He believes that it is one of the projects with truly sustainable results." - Kathy Palakoff, mother of PCV

 

Volunteers often describe participation in the conferences as one of their most important contributions to their service in PC. It is certainly one of the most immediately rewarding: 30-40 girls from volunteer villages all are selected for their motivation, self-expression skills, and academic acheivement and brought in to the regional capital to attend a 3-4 day conference covering a range of topics. Sessions are lead by volunteers, teams of volunteers and "alumni girls" from previous years, and other resource people including local women leaders and professionals. Topics include study skills, staying-in-school strategies, issues in women's health (including early pregnancy, AIDS, and excision), critical thinking and decision making, and goal planning, as well as a "career day" when each girl has the opportunity to shadow and interview a local working woman. Each conference ends with a "now what?" session to help girls plan how they will take what they've learned back to their villages. Traditionally, at least two members of PC Guinea Administration, including guinean women on our staff, attend the conferences each year. Judging from their own comments, I think they find the experience richly rewarding as well. -Jennifer Bradley-Swift, current PCV