Another option are prepaid international calling cards, which can get you rates under 33 cents a minute. There is one report that these may provide unreliable connections, however. There are phones in most towns and cities. There is also internet access in the capital, Conakry, and soon there will be internet access at other locations in the country. Mail Don't panic if you haven't heard from the Volunteer in a while.
Mail can be slow and letters can be lost.
If something had happened to the Volunteer, you would receive word before you noticed a delay in the mail. The mail is not regular and mail being sent home is often dependent on someone willing to take it to the States. It can be very frustrating to contact to PCVs inGuinea because of the unreliability of the postal system and the telephone system there. One thing for a PCV to consider is to get a BP in the prefecture nearest their site. Now this is not a fool-proof method because it's still relying on the Guinean postal system.