How we're supporting girls to speak up against FGM in Uganda.
Dear John,
As the world grapples with the latest strain of COVID, young girls in Uganda face an additional threat. Since the pandemic closed schools in 2020, pregnancies amongst girls aged 10-24 have increased by 23%1.
Where rates of FGM and child marriage were on the decline, that trend has now reversed. Not only are a whole generation of children missing crucial years of their early education, for some girls, their lives will never be the same again.
We are working with National Association of Women’s Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU), to tackle FGM and child marriage in one of the hardest-hit districts of Eastern Uganda by:
Providing counselling – to support survivors of violence and those at risk of FGM
Creating safe spaces – where girls can meet with trusted mentors to learn about their rights, grow in confidence and create their own anti-FGM campaigns
Holding community meetings – bringing together elders, parents, teachers, police officers, lawyers, and religious leaders to encourage collective action against FGM
Supporting older women – including ‘cutters’ who carry out FGM to access small government grants so they can start alternative businesses.
But the success or failure of this work relies on the courage and willingness of young girls like Charity to make a stand. Could you show them you’re on their side this Christmas?
Rather than living in fear, they are standing up, speaking out and changing minds about the harmful traditional practices that have been practiced in their communities for generations.
Your support this Christmas would mean so much. We are closer than ever to seeing an end to FGM in Uganda but together we must keep working with our partners in the hardest-hit communities.
