I would like to introduce you to Norah, a brave young Pokot woman who has remained steadfast in refusing to be cut. Unfortunately although Norah has just completed her secondary education her parents are putting enormous pressure on her to undergo FGM as she is now pregnant and due to be married.
Luckily Norah was able to contact the office of our sister organisation and partners on the ground in Pokot, CICR (centre for indigenous child rights), who have provided a safe place for Norah. The manager and CEO of CICR has made it her business to visit Norah's family in a very remote village of West Pokot, to facilitate reconciliation and persuade them to accept Norah back into the bosom of her family without being forced to be cut.
Norah has been an amazing role model to her peers. She has participated in several of our alternative rite of passage ceremonies (ARP,s) in the last decade, performing as a soloist singer and dramatist.
She has a bright future ahead as an educated young Pokot woman who can help to lead the way in persuading many more of her peers to refuse FGM and early "marriage" (ECM) and thereby influence the whole community.
Covid has stalled most of our fund raising activities this year and as a small purely grassroots organisation we are desperate to continue our work, save as many girls as possible and persuade the whole community to abandon this out-moded cruel, dangerous practice.
With your help we can save more girls like Norah and help end FGM and ECM.
We are putting out a most urgent appeal to fund this year's ARP and community abandonment ceremony in a new remote area of North Pokot where in most villages the vast majority of girls face the cruelty of FGM and ECM.
Please consider donating whatever you can afford to this worthy cause, a most urgent human rights issue of the girl child!
£10 will pay for 2 girls to attend the anti FGM "camp" for 1 day
£30 will pay for 6 girls to attend for one day
£100 will pay for 30 girls to attend the whole week
The Guardian film from 2010 on home page of our website shows our work well.
Since then around 6000 girls have participated in our programme. The vast majority of whom have remained uncut and in school. Several of the young women have graduated to become teachers, nurses, hairdressers and business women.
You can rest assured that practically every penny donated will go directly to fund this year's programme due to start soon as our overheads in Pokot are minimal and all the UK team are volunteers.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, especially on behalf of all the girls you will help to save from FGM.
