What are the Gender Conferences?
       Girls Conferences
       Boys Conferences
Has this been done before?
       Reports and Documents
Testimonials from Previous Conferences

What are the Gender Conferences?

Girls Conference

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.

Boys Conference

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 the FOG Projects Officer at projects @ friendsofguinea.org with any questions you might have.

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
• 2002 Conference Report
• 2001 Conference Report

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

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

"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