Community Education on FGM

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a range of procedures which involve ‘the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reason’. The majority of Somalis practice different forms of FGM with the majority of practitioners practicing the sunna type while a few still hold onto the pharaonic type of FGM. However, there is no clear evidence that what is currently practiced is indeed ‘sunna’ and not pharaonic, since community members are not aware of what sunna really entails. The prevalence rate for FGM is 99,8 % (NAFIS NETWORK 2014).

Thus this project will be part of a long process aiming eventually to the abandonment of FGM practice .The main purpose is to increase the knowledge level of negative health and social consequences of FGM and encourage people to share the knowledge to their peers. Furthermore, the project will have comprehensive media campaigns about negative health and social consequences of FGM targeting University students and Female journalist.

Project Objectives:

Overall Goal: The target communities in Togdheer and Maroodijeex of Somaliland are more willing to abandon all forms of FGM.

PROJECT PURPOSE : The target communities in Togdheer and Maroodijeex are aware of social and health effects and religious misconceptions of all forms of FGM/C.

Expected results:

1: Trained parents, youth and religious scholars in target villages are aware of social effects of all forms of FGM/C

2: Trained parents, youth and religious scholars in target villages are aware of negative health effects of all form of FGM/C

3: Trained parents, youth, and religious scholars in target villages are aware of religious misconceptions towards all forms of FGM/C ms of FGM/C.

4: Trained parents, youth, and religious scholars in target villages share information about negative health and social consequences and religious misconceptions of FGM/C either publicly or privately.

5: CHLE and media engagement, resulting in strengthened media channels for support of all forms of FGM/C abandonment.

6: CLHE has participated to relevant stakeholder meetings and shared their knowledge and experience.

Main Activities :

1) Sensitization the communities living in target villages on the negative consequences of the FGM practice through training, awareness raising and debates in their villages.

2) Involving religious leaders because the religious leaders are most respectful figures who can easily influence the public and change their negative attitude towards the eradication. Besides their speech has very high value in the Muslim people.

3) Using mass media for awareness rising to influencing to the attitude of people. In the project, the media targets groups are parents, religious leaders, and youth.

4) Cooperation and consultation with different stakeholders in order to help project objective to success.

Target Beneficiaries: