In 1988, Plan decided to open its program in Guinea, four years after the end
of a 26 year regime inspired by the socialist bloc which isolated the country from the outside world (1958-1984).
There were very few NGOs (national and international) operating in the country.

Weak Civil Society and Business Network
The former regime did not permit the emergence of a business world,nor of a dynamic civil society in the modern sense of the word.
The fall of the regime left a vacuum in this respect despite the advent of moves toward multiparty democracy and modest reforms.

Lack of Transparency and Trust
Furthermore, the colonial period and the 26 years of a single-party regime that followed left a "heavy-handed" government and opaque management.
This promoted a gross lack of confidence in management, be it governmental or private, centralized or local.

Community Traditions and Resources - Official Policy of Decentralisation
However, during this long period, Guinean society had been guided by the one-party state which had instilled a certain habit of working in committees and in a community structure at base level. Also, traditionally, Guinean society has a community vision of life.
The new regime (from 1984 forward) supported these realities, and installed a policy of decentralisation which gives official legal status to community structures.

Principle Problem
Thus, when Plan arrived, it observed these realities and understood that Guinea has two facets: it is a country with enormous potential, but also a country where almost every region was equally poor and in the same position vis-à-vis opening a Plan programme.
The issue was not simply a lack of resources or equipment/infrastructure; but also and mainly a problem of attitudes, a lack of organisational dynamics, and a lack of adequate "know-how" to initiate and conduct a development process at local level.

A Strategic Logical Choice
After visiting areas of Guinea, after consultations a various levels, and after a systematic review of factors (including sociological ones) favourable to Plan's type of work, Plan came to a major conclusion:

In Guinea, as elsewhere in Africa, the child (especially in a rural setting) is at the centre of a community system composed of concentric circles, going from the immediate family to the whole community (in the broadest sense), passing through the enlarged family, the village, and even the region. The only way to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of children's lives in this context is to help their community to become more dynamic by acquiring necessary "know-how", being open to new resources/reponses, and reinforcing their community structures to better take charge of their own development.

In summary the fundamental approach of PlanGuinea is

To ensure that Plan's activities and principles support Community Capacity Building through the three pillar concepts of Partnership, Transparency, and Community Ownership.

To ensure that Plan's activities and principles support Community Capacity Building through the threepillar concepts of Partnership, Transparency, and Community Ownership.

This constitutes the foundation of the whole PlanGuinea approach.
It justifies and explains its organizational system and the ensemble of its procedures.

The Communities' traditional vision respects this approach, as well as the Government policy of decentralisation - constituting a factor of success.

This fundamental goal is in line with Plan's vision and mission; and the "pillar concepts" have been corroborated by the Strategic Directions (CCCD , long-term commitment, investing in human resources, partnership and alliances) and the SFA .