Guinea Bissau, landmarks

A small country where much is still missing for a daily life free from precariousness. Marked by the historical political and institutional fragility and by that of an economy still of subsistence only.
It is important to open day by day, with patience and tenacity, paths on which to build some stable opportunities for the people on which to graft novelties and make them grow together with the people to whom they are directed.

This is the meaning of the constant commitment of the friends of the Abala Lite Association, with whom we have been collaborating with pleasure for many years, especially with tools, materials, the presence of technical volunteers, sharing ideas and skills.
The method is always that of long presences, of meeting with local communities, defining together the priorities to be addressed; working together, taking responsibility, training young people in the management and basic maintenance of the works. In a group of villages, north of Bissau, gradually reached.
Now that horticulture is well underway – with tangible economic benefits – thanks to the work of women who are careful to experiment and seize opportunities, the themes now under development are very closely related to each other: safe water for consumption, and basic healthcare.
Many wells have been built or rehabilitated over the years, installing remote controls on the work of the pumps, photovoltaic; but the need for water is always growing, also to irrigate new crops. Today, thanks also to the presence of Italian biologists, the quality of water for human consumption from each source is systematically verified. Then adopting the hygienic-sanitary measures to avoid the pollution of the aquifers, and making the “open wells”, self-built by the people, like the one in Nague, safe, to be able to draw from them without any more contamination from the outside. The self-production devices of sodium hypochlorite, which continue to be made available, then offer their effective contribution to improving and preserving the quality of the water.
Elsewhere, the challenge is to eliminate the excess iron present in the water of some wells: the application of simple filtering techniques, which have been successful in other situations in the world, will be tested.
Health care is not guaranteed; a public hospital asks for cash before starting a treatment: it is easy to understand the priority of a basic, widespread health care.

In a few years, the dispensary built in N’Tchangue has become the point of reference for a large catchment area. Consultations and treatments, then check-ups of pregnant women, vaccinations, wide-ranging screening for example on eye problems – thanks to a “health registry” built specifically, in collaboration with the Avogadro Institute of Turin. Now training of village “health agents” to spread awareness on basic hygiene, preserving water, protecting one’s health...
For this, and for serious cases, networking mission structures, such as the Nhacra Teda Hospital. Now also taking advantage of a collaboration promoted with the Faculty of Medicine of Turin, to start exchanges and training of health personnel.
In the coming months, for the dispensary a further project with the nearby school: to greatly enhance the small photovoltaic system, thanks to the intervention of Seva for Africa. It will be possible to manage electromedical equipment, and store drugs/vaccines; while the school will begin to realize the next "dream": to activate systematic training for farmers.


Mauro Palombo
NP June / July 2024