[Guinean news] Junta cracks down on prostitutes, drug addicts

The Guinean military junta has apparently ordered a crackdown on prostitutes and young drug addicts in Conakry, according to APANEWS.

The African Press Agency reports an increase in the number of nighttime police patrols in the capital over the last several days.

[Guinean news] 'Coup plotters' arrested; Dadis won't stand in elections

Two junior army officers were arrested this week on suspicion of plotting a coup d'Etat against the country's military head of state Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara. Dadis was already at the airport when his trip to Libya was cancelled, reports the BBC. The broadcaster noted an increase in troop movements in Conakry in recent days.

Agence France Presse noted that: The International Crisis Group has warned that disagreements within the Guinean junta itself could endanger the transition to elections planned for later this year.

Human Rights Watch has similar concerns.

Earlier this week, Capt. Camara said he would not stand in presidential elections due this December.

[FOG News] Help us help Guinea!

Yes, it’s that time of year again, and we need your help. Yes, your help. No matter how small, any assistance is greatly appreciated. We have a big turnover in our officer pool this year, as several dedicated officers are stepping down. We thank them deeply for their time, energy and humor over the years!

All jobs take about 3-5 hours per month, though the time commitment can vary depending on your preferences and seasonal projects.

Deadline for nominations is April 22 (Earth Day!). Send your interest or questions to me at info (at) friendsofguinea (dot) org! For complete descriptions of all open officer positions go to http://www.friendsofguinea.org/aboutfog/officerduties.shtml

Open positions

1. Projects Mastermind. The projects director keeps on top of new projects coming on board at PCPP, such as the Gender Conferences, advertises those projects in the community, and helps scrape together some of the precious moola to help make them happen. This job can have long periods of inactivity with concentrated fundraising efforts.

2. Communications Commander. The communications director keeps the FOG blog updated, with the help of the other officers, as well as any other communications needs. This job requires small amounts of time once a week or so, and is ideal for someone who keeps on top of the Guinean news already.

3. Web Meister. The web administrator is in charge of keeping our online face looking pretty. Very little html knowledge required, and the motivated individual could work with a contractor to get us on a content management system requiring no html knowledge for the job. This job requires an hour or more once a month, plus availability for special updates a few times a year.

4. Guinea Parent Support (GPS). The GPS groups were set up with love by a parent of a PCV many years ago, and have proven invaluable for many parents and friends of volunteers since. The GPS administrator communicates with PC Washington to get the email addresses of each group of parents, sets up new email lists for those groups, and helps find a mentor to guide each new group through the ins-and-outs of

5. Secretarial Superhero. The secretary’s job is to keep FOG running smoothly by scheduling quarterly teleconferences and keeping track of records. There is a little bit of cat-herding in this job, and the satisfaction of keeping all the ducks in a row. This job tends to require about an hour every few weeks.

6. Financial Guru: The financial officer keeps track of the financial resources of FOG. He/she deposits monies from donations in an account under the name of FOG, and dispurses monies as requested and approved by the FOG board. He/she also keeps financial records, via spreadsheet, of both expenditures and income, summarizing it for the board quarterly. On a monthly basis, the financial officer sends financial information to the membership director, to be used to verify new member payments.




Non-essential positions

1. Fundraising help: Assist the project director in finding the chunks of change to make change happen

2. Administer Connected Peace Corps site: Help us figure out the best way to use this group, be the social butterfly on the online social networking site!

3. Advocacy: Keep on top of Guinean news and provide a quarterly briefing for the newsletter, and anything else you see fit to do!

4. Listserv admin: Keep things clean and spiffy on the Guinea List email list, answer questions from subscribers, etc. Minimal time commitment.

Inuwali, on jaaraama, and we'll buy you a bowl of mafe tiga!

[FOG News] Facebook for RPCVs

Check out the new FOG site on Peace Corps Connect – the new “Facebook” site for RPCVs. We’re there at http://community.peacecorpsconnect.org/group/friendsofguinea. Join our group, and connect with old friends too. You can search by country of service, name, etc., online chat, post pictures, and more. I give it a thumbs up!