The House of Leadership and Support for Girls and Women (Malaff) is an organization founded on August 17, 2024, by feminist activist and former president of the Club des Jeunes Filles Leaders de Guinée, Kadiatou Konaté, and four co-founders (three women and one man). Organized around a board of directors and an executive team, Malaff does not yet have any paid staff but can rely on a community of over 150 volunteers. Together, they carry out advocacy, training, and awareness-raising initiatives focused on women’s leadership and sexual and reproductive health. Above all, Malaff aims to foster a strong and structured feminist movement in Guinea. Its mission is to promote equality, autonomy, and dignity for women.
Teaching Feminism
“Guinean feminism is often represented by the same faces. At Malaff, we want to broaden this perspective by involving young people—girls and boys—who aren’t necessarily well-known and come from diverse backgrounds outside activist circles,” explains Oumou Hawa Diallo, the association’s executive director. She aims to train a new generation of activists, aged 13 to 27, to instill in them the values of feminism, in a context where the word remains poorly perceived and stigmatized. Training sessions are organized before any on-the-ground action. The goal: to clarify what feminism is, deconstruct common misconceptions, and offer participants the freedom to embrace it or not. “It’s about giving them the tools to get involved in a conscious, informed, and autonomous way.”
“Women’s strength allows us to stand together and speak with one voice.”
Kadiatou Konaté, founder of the NGO Malaff Guinée
The "Mes Menstrues Libres" Festival
The initiative began three years ago in Côte d’Ivoire and has since spread to other West African countries. On June 13 and 14, 2025, in Conakry, the first edition of the Mes Menstrues Libres festival took place, organized by MALAFF Guinea. Over two days, activists, institutions, students, healthcare professionals, and citizens gathered to discuss menstruation without embarrassment, without shame, and above all, without taboos. Present at the event, the National Director of Family Health, representing the Ministry of Health, praised the initiative and called on all stakeholders to work toward a Guinea where girls no longer miss school because of their periods.
FOCUS ON… EDUCATIONAL TALKS
On May 5, 2024, Malaff Guinée hosted its first unconventional educational talk. During a free in-person session lasting an hour and a half, 20 participants were able to share their concerns, exchange tips, and ask questions of a gynecologist to help them navigate their pregnancies with greater peace of mind. It was a way to build connections and create a safe space where speaking openly is a form of healing.
Equipop's sorore support
As the main sponsor of the first Menstrues Libres festival in Guinea, “Equipop believed in us when few partners were willing to trust a young organization,” says Oumou Hawa Diallo. In addition to financial support, the partnership also provides strategic guidance: “Equipop advises us, reviews our strategic documents, and helps us build our capacity, particularly on feminist and intersectional issues.”
To be continued…
To continue raising awareness beyond the festival, Malaff Guinée plans to distribute hygiene kits in several rural areas, with the support of teams trained in endometriosis. This is a topic related to menstruation that remains largely unknown and rarely discussed in Guinean society.
