While Guinea-Bissau has made large strides in water and sanitation since 2000, outbreaks of cholera from contaminated water through food and drinking water are common. In 2019, 702,974 cases of diarrhoea diseases were reported in the country. In rural areas water access is not an issue during the rainy season but at other times rivers and boreholes run dry. Guinea-Bissau is a source country for children subjected to trafficking, primarily for forced labour although many end up on the streets begging to survive. Many children are sold by poor families often to work in Senegal as farm labourers or in domestic servitude. Whilst the government has pledged to crack down on this practise their commitment has often been little more than passing aid to NGOs to help victims rather than any proactive stance. Child sponsor programs in Guinea-Bissau include working with families towards sustainable farming, care of orphans and abandoned children, developing safe water supplies as well as promoting education and access to health care. You can help when you sponsor a child in Guinea-Bissau.