Empowering Grandmother leaders to stop FGM

Due to the Coronavirus, schools in Velingara have been closed since mid-March and will not reopen until November. There are no distance learning opportunities, as most families do not even have a radio or schoolbooks. This situation puts girls at a higher risk for FGM, child marriage, teen pregnancy and drooping out of school.

Grandmothers play a role as guardians and transmitters of cultural norms and practices across Africa and in all contexts where FGM is practiced. In our approach, grandmothers are actively engaged, and they are given a central role in the process of abandonment.   Other community members who influence FGM directly or indirectly are also involved in GMP-supported activities, catalyzing community-wide dialogue to promote community-driven abandonment.

Grandmothers are fundamental to the socialization and education of girls. Thanks to the support of grandmothers, girls’ fundamental rights and well-being are championed both within their families and the communities in which they live.