Privileged to meet Ban Ki Moon yesterday at UNHQ at launch of Guardian and UNFPA global media campaign to end FGM within a generation. The UN Secretary General is passionate and committed to ending this torture. The conference was unanimous in declaring FGM a gross violation of the human rights of the girl child.
Grateful thanks to Maggie O’Kane, Executive director (I think) at Guardian media for inviting Domtila Chesang and I to attend this important event.
It feels that our small but highly effective group in Pokot is finally getting recognition for our work.
Hopefully this will soon translate into much needed funds to build a rescue centre for girls to escape to and given shelter in case they are at risk of forced genital mutilation and subsequent early marriage.
To date we have empowered around 1000 girls to refuse FGM during our 5 Alternative Rite of Passage ceremonies in central Pokot county.
As we reach out to people in more remote areas where virtually no FGM sentisation has ever taken place we are finding more girls at high risk of FGM which makes our rescue centre needed more urgently.
This website is due for a “facelift”! Bear with us in the meantime.
May I suggest if you haven’t already seen the Guardian film “Abandon the Knife”, then please Google and watch on you tube. It’s a great film which demonstrates the model of Alternative Rite of Passage ceremonies that we have created and is proving very successful.
Please visit Beyond FGM Just Giving if you would like to contribute and help this vital and urgent work.
Thanks a million.