Earlier this year, we were honored to join forces with the Milken Institute School of Public Health, the U.S. End FGM/C Network, and the Global Woman PEACE Foundation (GWPF) to address FGC across the United States. This initiative, funded by a $300,000 grant from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (DOJ-OVW), marks a significant step forward in our fight to end FGC.
Throughout this project, our dedicated team will conduct listening sessions, offer comprehensive training and technical assistance (T&TA), and develop online resources to enhance the capacity of state agency partners and community service providers in supporting FGC survivors. This initiative represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to create a safer and more supportive environment for impacted individuals.
On June 20, 2024, we hosted an impactful in-person meeting at George Washington University with our project partners. This gathering allowed us to review the project timeline in great depth and align on progress and upcoming milestones. A highlight of the meeting was reviewing the data we have collected thus far from the listening sessions, which provided invaluable insights into the knowledge, strengths, and needs of the grantees regarding FGC awareness and understanding. This data-driven approach initiated rich discussions and brainstorming sessions among the partners, emphasizing the importance of organizing our T&TA as a learning collaborative. We explored ideas for creating a toolkit of case studies and guided sessions by subject matter experts to facilitate peer learning. Our goal is to build a framework for ongoing support and capacity building in FGC prevention and response, recognizing that this is a journey we undertake together, pioneering new efforts and approaches in addressing FGC.
We look forward to sharing some of our recent findings with federal agencies in a meeting later this month. Our goal is to inspire and advocate for additional federal funding and support for these efforts nationwide, recognizing that our strength lies in our collective commitment and collaboration.