The UNDP in Guinea-Bissau has been supporting the country since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. With funding from the Government of Canada, UNDP Guinea-Bissau contributed to improve the health system response to COVID-19 by both strengthening epidemiological surveillance and by raising awareness on COVID-19 at community level.

The work took consideration of the possible strong impact of COVID-19 related State of Emergency in rural areas, where the population does not have access to basic services and the state of emergency declared impacted communities and families’ livelihoods. These communities were supported by providing clean energy to the regional delegations and healthcare facilities, which ensured improvement in the provision of health care to the population most at risk at not being assisted in their healthcare needs.

In all, internet access was also provided to 22 health and isolation centers as well as solar panels for the functioning of 11 regional health centers/laboratories. The provision of clean energy to the health centres and laboratories will make the difference in the delivery of basic healthcare, including for COVID-19.

The Office of the High Commissioner for COVID-19 and its related institutions, were also supported to improve their capacity to understand and better respond to the pandemic by contributing IT equipment for data registry, sharing and management.

The initiative involved public institutions and civil society organizations including the Red Cross in Guinea-Bissau as well as the Women’s Political Platform to ensure comprehensive, equitable and inclusive participation, so that no one is left behind and progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is sustained. 

Targeted communication across the decision-making/ political elite, at the community level and for the population at large, was held concurrently with the health system strengthening initiative. There were more than 500,000 direct beneficiaries of the advocacy activities, 70,000 of which were reached through door-to-door awareness raising campaigns as part a strong advocacy component to highlight simple actions that can keep people safe.  

Multiple communication channels, spanning from the national television to national and community radios allowed a strong outreach and ensured a strong public support for shaping and influencing behaviour to limit and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Involving the Women’s Political Platform provided the perfect entry point to work with women and ensure their full involvement in the design and implementation of activities, which ensured a wide outreach, but also the dissemination of gender-sensitive messages and the empowerment of women as driving forces for further awareness and commitment in the fight against COVID-19.

Because of cultural factors, women face several barriers even to be aware and adopt preventive measures to limit COVID infection. The sensitization campaign therefore targeted girls and women, especially those working in the informal sector, like in markets, to increase their understanding of the preventive measures to limit the impact of COVID-19. 

Furthermore, the improvement of the functioning of the regional delegations and health facilities also contributed to the access to healthcare for women and girls that are mostly in need of health support.

The socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on the population has been significant putting a severe strain on the Bissau-Guinean society affecting social cohesion. According to UNDP’s household survey carried out in July-August 2020, there was a decline in income in 72 percent of households, temporary and even permanent loss of employment.

“With the support of this project we managed to engage political leaders of all political parties that signed a joint commitment to have a strong and unified voice to maximize impact, recognizing that the COVID-19 crisis does not depend on a singular decision-making authority, but requires a collective solution to a problem, in which all decision makers need to get involved if we want to win this fight”. Silvina Tavares, Women’s Political Platform

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of preparing for the unpredictable and the need to deliver better, quicker and more effective support to the most vulnerable by coordinating efforts to maximise the use of resources and also through inclusion and political commitment to leaving no one behind.

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