country programs
About Youth Crime Watch of Guinea-Bissau
Jovens Construindo a Cidadania Guine-Bissau (JCCGB), the local Youth Crime Watch implementation in Guinea-Bissau, helps schools and communities in Guinea-Bissau start and sustain their own YCW programs. Services include:
- Background information about YCW
- YCW awareness presentations
- YCW implementation training for your site
- Technical assistance getting your site started
- Technical assistance once your site is up and running
This program is UNDER DEVELOPMENT.
News from Guinea-Bissau
2009 Annual Report
JCC/YCW Guinea-Bissau has released its annual report for good work done in 2009. It is available in both English and Portuguese.
- 2009 Annual Report (English)
- 2009 Relatorio Anual (Portuguese)
December 2009: JCC members attend violence training
Three members of JCC Ginea-Bissau attended a four-day workshop on youth violence led by trainers from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Full report (PDF 1.8 MB).
December 2009: JCC takes part in workgroup on youth issues
Malam Camara, president of JCC/YCW Guinea-Bissau took part in a national level workgroup at the UNODC Ministry of Justice. The meeting, which stretched to ten hours, included UN representatives and national justice leaders. Present at the panel were Mrs G. Mazza, UN Representative in Guinea Bissau, Joseph Mutaboba, Representative Of UNOGBIS, Mamasaliu Djaló Pires, Minister Of Justice, Alexandre Schimidt,UNODC Regional Representative, Manuel de Almeida Pereira, UNODC Legal adviser for Guinea Bissau, Vladimir Monteiro, UNOGBIS comunication officer, Malam Camara, President of JCC/YCW-GB, and Luis Peti, Lawyer from Ministry of Justice.
November 2009: George Ionita recognized for support of JCCGB
A certificat of appreciation was presented to George Ionita, MD, MPH, MS, UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Guinea-Bissau, in recognition of his support of the Jovens Construindo Cidadania program. The presentation was made by Malam Camara, president of the JCC/YCW GB.
August 5-6, 2009: JCCGB takes part in defense and security conference
The President of Jovens Construindo a Cidadania Guine-Bissau Malam Camara and Vice Chief of European Mission in Guinea Bissau Colonel Fernando Afonso at the August conference on defense and security.
JCC Guinea-Bissau was pleased to take part in a two-day conference on defense and security this summer. A full report from the conference delegation is available here in PDF format (PDF 8.4 MB).
July 2009: JCCGB civic education campaign for national elections
JCCGB election campaigners Aurelio Correia Co, Aua Camara and Lassana Nanco in action.
Three youths from JCC/YCW-GB participated in June and July 2009 in a door-to-door civic education campaign organized by Comissao Nacional das Eleicoes of Guinea Bissau- CNE (National Election commission) to promote participation in the first round and second round of presidential election in Guinea Bissau. The Organizacao de Sociedade Civil (Civil Society Organizations) called upon youth organizations to send three representatives on this door-to-door campaign with the message "ANO’S I GUINEENSIS, ANO’S I N’SON" (We are Guineans, we are one.) The campaign promotes the civic obligation and right of each citizen to elect their nation's president. Candidates Malam Bacai Sanha of PAIGC party and Kumba Yala of PRS party met in the second round of elections in July.
Earlier in the spring, JCCGB participated in efforts to promote peaceful elections in problem areas. Project t-shirts bore the message "As Eleições não Servem perante a violência" (Elections don't serve for violence.)
July 2009: First two JCC sites formed
JCC Guinea-Bissau has formed its first two program sites. They are Bairro da Ajuda and Bairro de Bandim, both in the city of Bissau.
Bairro da Ajuda, Bissau: Mama-Saliu Jalo, Samba Lamine Dabo, Iaia Nancobna, Seco Keita(Leader of site Bancada), Abudu Sisse, Calido Djalo e Almame Fati. Site leader Bancada Ladrão views the initiative as a window of opportunity for the youth of the Ajuda neighborhood and for the youth of Guinea Bissau in general.
Bairro de Bandim, members of the site Bancada "Somente as Estrelas": (back) Marçelino da Silva, Bitchalo D. Có, Sadjó Balde, Tinoca J. Nanque, Serafim P. Gomes; (front) site leader Madiu Baldé, Orácio Djύ, Casimiro J. Nanque and Mamadύ Có
May 25-26, 2009: JCCGB takes part in conference on dialogue in Guinea-Bissau
JCC Guinea-Bissau was invited to take part in a two-day conference organized by the Human Rights League of Guinea-Bissau. The event, Dialogue in Guinea-Bissau: Military and political stabilization in Guinea-Bissau as the key for lasting peace in the region, attracted 200 participants from the armed forces, civic organizations, the political arena, business and non-profits. Thematically the conference discussion fell into four areas:
- Civil-military dialogue as an instrument for the prevention of conflicts and consolidation of the rule of law
- Obstacles to political administration and an integrated system of promoting rights in Guinea-Bissau
- Impacts of the modernization and professionalization of the defence and security sectors
- Contributions of traditional power holders in resolving violent conflicts
Photos from this event below:
National conference site
The Imam, Chief of the Gabu Region, and Luis Vas Martins, president of the Human Rights League of Guinea-Bissau, with Malam Camara, president of JCC Guinea-Bissau
Military pilot Nafantchamna "Youri" Bissau outlining his views on conflict resolution
May 25, 2009: Statue dedicated to leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement
Members of JCC Guinea-Bissau pose with their banner at the end of their 7km march to the statue of Amilcar Lopes Cabral, leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement.
JCC Guinea-Bissau took part in the ceremonial dedication of the statue of Amilcar Lopes Cabral on May 25th, as part of the celebration of Africa Day. The country's Prime Minister, members of the cabinet and surviving relatives of Amilcar Lopes Cabral took part in the festivities. JCCGB completed a seven kilometer march to the ceremonial site outside of the capitol city. More photos from the event (PDF 3.9 MB).
May 14, 2009: JCCGB signs memorandum of understanding
Jovens Construindo a Cidadania Guine-Bisssau, YCW's affiliate in Guinea-Bissau, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports' Institute of Youth. Fernando N. Saldanha, President, represented the Institute of Youth and Malam Camara, President, represented JCCGB.
Fernando N. Saldanha, President of Institute of Youth of Guinea Bissau and Malam Camará, President of Jovens Construindo a Cidadania/Youth Crime Watch of Guinea Bissau, shake hands after signing the memorandum of understanding between their organizations.
May 2009: JCCGB participates in campaign to prevent the spread of cholera
Volunteers pitched in with the armed forces in cleanup efforts. Pictured, center, is the Minister of Health of Guinea-Bissau and the Mayor of Bissau City with volunteers and soldiers at the cleanup launch.
Volunteers from the JCC Guinea-Bissau program responded to a call from the Mayor of Bissau City Armando A. Napoco to pitch in with the armed forces in a massive cleanup effort fight the spread of Cholera. The campaign spanned the last two weeks of April. Guinea-Bissau's national Health Ministry has issued warnings as the rainy season approaches and has implored local authorities to clean up in an effort to prevent an outbreak of a cholera epidemic.
Cholera is a very dangerous disease spread by poor sanitary conditions and is especially prevalent in developing countries. Those infected experience severe vomiting and diarrhea which lead to rapid and severe dehydration. Without immediate medical treatment, cholera can lead to death within hours after symptoms begin. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water, thus cleaning efforts can play a primary role in fighting the disease.
The campaign had the strong support of Guinea-Bissau's Health Ministry and mobilized volunteers and armed forces in a combined effort to combat the dangers posed by poor sanitary conditions.
See photos from April 18th cleanup and April 25th cleanup
(PDF - large files).
Pictured: Army Commander Zamora Induta shakes hands with JCCGB's Malam Camará. Minister of Health Camilo Simões Pereira is on the right.
March 2009: JCCGB introduces Youth Crime Watch concepts to Guinea-Bissau
Jovens Construindo a Cidadania Guine-Bissau invited youth organizations, government institutions and press organizations to learn about Youth Crime Watch concepts at a half-day event on March 28. A number of national youth organizations were present, as were representatives from the Ministry of Youth, Liga dos Direitos Humanos, four radio stations and the weekly Gazeta de Noticias.
JCCGB outlined the basics of the Youth Crime Watch program model and introduced the organization on the national scene. Organizers fielded numerous questions from participants and the event was an overall success.
We wish the group in Guinea-Bissau the very best of luck in their future endeavors.
Photos below:
Participants at the March 28 introductory event.
Dr. Seide of the Liga dos direitos humanos and the representative from the Youth Ministry.
Participants at the event learned about Youth Crime Watch concepts.
JCCGB president Malam Camara answered questions from the press - Rádio Pinjiquite, Rádio Nossa, Rádio Voz de Quelele, rádio Bombulom and the Gazeta de Bissau.
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