It took no less than 8 hours by plane to Conakry and nearly 2 days on the road, not always in good condition, for Olivier, Stephan, Christophe and Sylvia to arrive in Haute-Guinea, in the Kankan region for this mission in 3 parts.

First stage: Balandougou, in the prefecture of Mandiana, a few km from the Malian border. Following various cultural exchanges, Balandougou, birth village of the famous percussionist Mamady Keita, had received a donation of the health post from the inhabitants of the island of Mishima, Japan.  In order to improve the conditions of care during the night and the use of different devices for the laboratory and to allow the installation of a fridge to keep the vaccines, this one was equipped by our volunteers with a PV installation of 3000 WC. The village school has also been equipped with a 1200 Wp PV installation, allowing the organization of evening classes.

The whole village of Oudoumakoro welcomed our volunteers for the second stage of their mission, with welcoming speeches, dances and traditional music.

In less than 3 days, the school and the health post were equipped with a PV installation of 1200 Wp each, as well as a fridge in the health post, and a solar kit in the house of Doctor Sidibe, who will be able to receive visiting doctors.

In Kankan, the third step was to equip the gynaecological clinic Fondation Sidibé with a 4500 Wp PV installation. This will allow the clinic to receive patients, perform ultrasound scans and operations, independently of the network, subject to numerous load shedding and often only available between 7pm and 11pm.

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Thanks to Olivier D., Stephan D., Christophe L., Sylvia B., helped on site by Dramane K. and Abdoulaye K. for these 5 achievements in record time, for their availability, their commitment and their unfailing sense of humour and to Roland R., Christophe L. and Sylvia B. for all the upstream preparation. ?

Below, some images shot during the mission

https://youtu.be/r-9Zhx3rzcg
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« Where there is light, there is LIFE », said a wise men met during this mission.

This first mission to Guinea, in the Kankan region, Mandiana prefecture, took place in 3 stages.

It is in the small village of Gbillin (900 inhabitants), about 15 km from any roads suitable for motorized vehicles, that our volunteers first dropped their luggages and tool bags. The program : electrify the health clinic with photovoltaic panels and install a fridge, to keep vaccines and medicines. The village’s primary school also received the same type of equipment, allowing evening classes and catch-up classes. In fact, one of the first students of the school who had completed his studies at university. A very symbolic moment !

With this experience, the team performed similar missions in record time and always in a good mood in 2 neighboring villages, Loïla (3900 inhabitants) and Faranindoun (8447 inhabitants), each building bringing its share of surprises and technical specificities.

In the evening, the women sang and danced,  to the sound of calabashes and djembes, in front of the health clinic, happy to be treated and give birth in better conditions.

A big thanks to the residents of Gbillin, Loïla and Faranindoun for their help in carrying out these projects and for their generous welcome. Thank you Dramane K., electrician in Kankan and our guide and translator on site. Thank you Dominique K., Marcel B., Geoffroy R. and Sylvia B. for their dedication on the field and thank you Roland R. for the good follow-up of the project.

  

  

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