Guinea-Bissau was the first Country Office that UNICEF Iceland worked with and so far Guinea-Bissau has received most donations of all specific programmes.

Icelandic companies, individuals and organizations have donated 3.5 million USD to projects in Guinea-Bissau in 2006-2009. The Icelandic donations will be used to improve health care and protection for the youngest children, build schools, provide education materials, produce iodized salt and to prevent leading causes of illness and deaths among children in Guinea-Bissau, especially malaria.

Cooperation between the two small countries, Iceland and Guinea-Bissau, has continued to grow and develop. Cultural programmes have been supported and discussions on business opportunities have taken place both in Guinea-Bissau and Iceland. The Icelandic Minister of Commerce visited Guinea-Bissau in March 2008 and The Guinéan Minister of Trade and Tourism came to Iceland in May 2008.

The first project

In March 2004, Baugur Group signed a corporate agreement with UNICEF Iceland to support an Early Childhood Development Project in Guinea-Bissau. The contribution was 250.000 USD, to be used for a period of two years. The funds have been used to improve health care, registration of children, teacher training and to build centres for young children, so called Djemberems. The main goal of the project is to reduce child mortality rates in Guinea-Bissau. Hreinn Loftsson, chairman of the board of Baugur Group, visited the project in 2005.

Largest corporate charity sponsorship in Iceland

Baugur Group continued its generous sponsorship of UNICEF Guinea-Bissau in 2005 and 2006. On December 1st 2005, UNICEF Iceland signed a three year agreement with three Icelandic companies, Baugur Group, FL Group and Fons, with a total value of 2 million USD. This agreement was possibly  the largest corporate charity sponsorship to a single development project made in Icelandic history.

UNICEF will allocate these funds to an education project in Guinea-Bissau and build 130 schools for almost 100 thousand children. By comparison there are 44 thousand children in the Icelandic school system.

On this occasion, Sir Roger Moore, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and his wife Kristina Moore, visited Iceland and took part in introducing the agreement. Yolanda Correia, Communication Officer at UNICEF in Guinea-Bissau, was also present and made a valuable input to the introduction.

Sovereignty festival

December 1st is the day when Iceland celebrates its sovereignty from Denmark, since 1918. The corporate agreement with Baugur Group, FL Group and Fons was signed at this day to emphasize the positive transformation that Icelandic society has undergone in the past decades.

On the evening of December 1st, Baugur Group, FL Group and Fons organized a charitiy gala dinner which raised around 1.3 million USD through an auction and voluntary donations. These funds have been used to support two projects in Guinea-Bissau; Promotion of Salt Iodization and Women Empowerment in Guinea-Bissau,and the distribution of 240 thousand malaria bednets which was a part of a projcet called Accelerated Child Survival and Development (ACSD). During the bednet distribution in November and December 2006 and May 2007 children received vitamin A and deworming tablets.

These interventions all aim at reducing child mortality and improving health care in Guinea-Bissau.

Distribution of malaria bednets
Malaria is one of the biggest cause of child mortality in Guinea-Bissau. If a child gets sick, it can die within a few days if it does not receive proper treatment. Around 94% of children under five in Guinea-Bissau will benefit from the distribution of the malaria bednets. 82% of children from six months to five years were given vitamin A and 78% of children from one to five years old received deworming tablets. The funds raised during the sovereignty festival paid for 80% of the project. It is estimated that the operation saves at least 4 thousand children who would othervise have lost their lives to malaria.

The Executive Director of UNICEF Iceland, Stefan Stefansson, was present during the six day  distribution campaign in November 2006. On that occasion Jean-Marie Dricot, Guinea-Bissau Representative, expressed his gratitude to the Icelandic donors on behalf of the nation.

Iodized salt
Part of the funds raised at the 1st of December’s festival will be used for salt iodization project in Guinea-Bissau. In September 2005, Pétur Björnsson, former Executive Director and owner of the Coca Cola Company in Iceland, donated 75.000 USD to the salt iodization project in Guinea-Bissau. The project sponsors the production and promotion of iodized salt, as well as providing women and girls with basic education. It is estimated that consumption of iodized salt has increased by 90%.