Efforts to rebuild continue

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has helped rebuild 18 community schools as part of efforts to rehabilitate Guinea-Bissau's health and education sectors, damaged during last year's military uprising. Another 20 schools are to be rebuilt under the UNICEF-supported project aimed at getting children in war-affected areas back to school and eliminating the need for makeshift rural schools, according to the latest situation report by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Guinea-Bissau. The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing food to support canteens, OCHA said in the report, which covers 1-15 August 1999. The Education Ministry is to create literacy centres in each of the schools with UNICEF support, it said. In the area of water and sanitation, UNICEF has completed the repair of 10 deep wells in Bissau and begun digging five new ones, in addition to providing drinking water in areas identified as vulnerable to potential cholera outbreaks, OCHA reported. Seeds have been distributed throughout the country with technical assistance from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) The Ministry of Health has initiated a measles vaccination campaign in the southern region of Tombali (Catio and Timbo sectors). CARITAS and WFP have initiated a pilot project to increase pre natal check-ups by giving food as an incentive to pregnant women in the eastern region of Gabz. They plan to extend the project to the rest of the country. A nationwide distribution of seeds was concluded through the technical assistance of FAO to the Ministry of Agriculture. The current agriculture campaign is being monitored, and technical follow-up provided, by national FAO consultants, NGOs and regional structures of the ministry. Regular rains and the absence of excessive insect infestations has been allowing a satisfactory development of crops such as rice, corn, peanuts, millet and sorghum. Corn harvesting has begun in the eastern regions of Gabz and Bafata. The second phase of a WFP food-for-work project in conjunction with the Evangelical Church to repair irrigation dikes is underway in the Tombali region. It is expected to benefit 2,000 people. WFP is also supporting a pilot literacy project for 300 women in the east-central region of Bafata with food-for training aimed at encouraging course participation. Due to a food gap during the period before the harvest, WFP food rations to vulnerable groups has been increased. Beneficiaries had previously been given individual portions (two kg of cereals per person), but are now receiving family portions to prevent the division of rations.