The "Fondation Elisabeth Cathy" (FELICA) is a community-based organisation in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. FELICA is registered in Guinea as a non-profit organisation and has been operating since 1998. The founder, coordinator and president of FELICA is Dr Catherine Loua, a gynaecologist and health care manager. Dr Loua directs a large government health centre during day-time, and in the evenings she runs FELICA and, for income generation, her own private medical practice. She has successfully harnessed the local capacity to self-help and mobilisation of resources and volunteers, allowing FELICA to co-finance all projects receiving outside support. Several organisations have officially recognised Dr Loua for her outstanding contributions in the health sector and social welfare of orphans.
Photo: Dr Loua, President of FELICA
The main aim of the charity is community-based orphan care (housing of orphans with foster parents, nutritional and educational assistance, psychological support and primary health care). FELICA also implements prevention activities with trained peer educators and volunteers in order to address teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. All activities are very well targeted to those most in need, the activities and orphan placements are supervised and followed-up, and any work with families fosters self-help and self-reliance. FELICA is currently working in the townships of the capital Conakry and in the remote Guinea Forest Region which has the greatest number of orphans and vulnerable children due to AIDS and refugees from neighboring crisis countries.
Dr Loua has over the years adopted several children who had lost their parents and had no place to go to. These children live with her own children in a rented house. The children are supported by the meagre salaries of Dr Loua (receiving an equivalent of £35 per month from the Ministry of Health) and her husband, a mine engineer. Since the Friends of FELICA have started the child sponsorship initiative, the household situation has markedly changed. To date, 14 of the 22 children in Dr Loua’s family are supported for schooling, nutrition and medical care.
Photo: Children in the FELICA family house
In 2006, Dr Loua has acquired a piece of fertile land outside Conakry with her own funds. The environment is hilly, lush and much healthier than in the nearby city. Dr Loua is planning to build an orphan reception centre (also called transitional care centre), in order to provide organised and quality services for orphaned and vulnerable children. For the construction, Dr Loua will be able to mobilise labour in the community, but will rely on donations for the materials. However, she is a lady who knows no fear of challenges and has an enormous faith that her dream will come true one day.
“FELICA’s key success factors are: Strong community participation; a simple management structure that includes the foster parents in decision making; a transparent accounting structure and regular reporting; specific income generation activities; and collaborations and networking with complementary programmes” Dr Catherine Loua
About FELICA
Dr Loua has over the years adopted several children who had lost their parents and had no place to go to. These children live with her own children in a rented house. The children are supported by the meagre salaries of Dr Loua (receiving an equivalent of £35 per month from the Ministry of Health) and her husband, a mine engineer. Since the Friends of FELICA have started the child sponsorship initiative, the household situation has markedly changed. To date, 14 of the 22 children in Dr Loua’s family are supported for schooling, nutrition and medical care.