- Children’s rights
- Women’s rights
- Justice and rule of law
- Land and resource rights
Began Program: 2003
Successive authoritarian regimes between 1958 and 2010 kept the population of Guinea deeply repressed, as the state arrested, tortured, and executed thousands. Extrajudicial killings were rarely investigated, and no perpetrators were brought to justice. Throughout this time, most people remained silent for fear of persecution, and when the Fund arrived in Guinea in 2003, there were few human rights organizations to support. Elections in 2010 finally opened up new opportunities for reform and allowed grantees to engage a democratically-elected government.
Though Guinea is still struggling to deal with abuses of the past, activists today are more hopeful than ever that there is real potential for reform and viable opportunities to impact Guinea’s future.
“By supporting the Fund, you give a second chance to people in vulnerable situations.”François Goumou, Guinean Center for Development Training and Education
There are countless challenges ahead of the human rights movement in Guinea, but the Fund is dedicated to strengthening the organizations with the potential to become change-agents in the years to come. Our strategy in Guinea focuses on supporting organizations that are relentless in their fight against impunity for human rights violators in the country. We’re supporting groups at the frontlines protecting women’s and children’s rights, as well those working closely with communities affected by abusive mining practices. Our commitment in Guinea means that we’re also investing in capacity-building for our grantees’ institutional development, whose growth and impact were for too long stunted by repressive governments.