FGM Special Initiative Launched
City Parochial Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Rosa (the UK Fund for Women and Girls), three independent charitable organisations, have collaborated to establish a new UK-wide Special Initiative to fund community based, preventive work to safeguard children from the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The initiative is supporting organisations based within practising communities - in particular, women’s organisations. Approximately £1million has been invested in 15 organisations throughout the UK over a three-year period. The projects will start in January 2010.
The initiative grantees are:
Work across the UK
ACCM UK – Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire
Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid – Birmingham
Black Association of Women Step Out (BAWSO) - Cardiff
Bolton Solidarity Community Association - Bolton
Forward - London, Bristol, Middlesbrough & Manchester
Granby Somali Women’s Group - Liverpool
Somali Development Services - Leicester
Women’s Health and Cultural Organisation (previously known as Teesside African Health Community) - Stockton-on-Tees
Work within London:
African Advocacy Foundation & North Brixton Islamic Cultural Centre – Lambeth & Southwark
Black Women’s Health and Family Support - Tower Hamlets, Hackney & Newham
British Somali Community - Camden
Manor Gardens Centre –Hackney, Haringey and Islington
Ocean Somali Community Association - Tower Hamlets and Newham
Southall Community Alliance, TALLO & Acton Community Forum - Ealing
Sudanese Women’s Association - Camden
Baroness Ruth Rendell, Ambassador to the initiative, said, ‘It's wonderful to know of this FGM initiative. I find it extremely heartening that people are giving up their time and devoting their energy to working against FGM. It's very different now from what it was ten years ago when I first learnt of it and began to combat it. So many organisations, motivated by goodwill and deep sympathy with affected women, are making a difference. Determination of the kind shown by the FGM initiative will eventually have the hoped-for results.’
To learn more about the initiative please click on the full press release (PDF) below.
(09/12/2009)
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