With over 80% of women and girls who are affected by FGM Sierra Leone has one of the highest FGM prevalence worldwide.
That's why we started our "Save A Little Desert Flower" project in 2014 in six communities in Sierra Leone.
Today, 3 years later we have saved over 1000 girls from being cut and enabled them to attend school. Something we are VERY proud of! The prevalence is declining within the younger age groups and we, you and us, contributed to that!
BUT this week something BIG happened! We talked to Hannah, one of our teachers and social workers in Bo, Sierra Leone and she told us something so big, that we had to hear it twice:
SOME HEADS OF THE BONDO SOCIETY ARE NOT ONLY GIVING UP THEIR TRADITION OF CUTTING GIRLS BUT ALSO JOINING THE FIGHT AGAINST FGM AND ARE NOT CUTTING THEIR GRANDCHILDREN!
Bondo who?
The Bondo is the very powerful all female secrety society in Sierra Leone, who has existed in West Africa for centuries. Being part of the Bondo society provides women and girls a higher standing and more rights in the society, since the initiate girls into womanhood. Unfortunately one of their cultural rituals include FGM.
After 3 years of hard work within the communities the head of these societies are starting to stop practising FGM!
We can't tell you how big of an achievement this is!
These are the moments we live for and it wouldn't have been possible without you guys!
It's still a long way to go but we are making a change!
Please continue with your great help and support our projects so we can STOP FGM FOR GOOD!
E.H.
