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Dear friends,
This October we launched our 11th country report on FGM in Nigeria. Here’s a video clip to give you a taster of the highlights: (link: goo.gl/mxqzHM)
This was launched in London at an event with 25 attendees, as well as being launched in Nigeria on the same day. I spoke on Premier Radio here in the UK and it was shared across media outlets in Nigeria.
Since 2010, when I had the privilege of volunteering with Forward in northern Nigeria, I have keenly watched both the setbacks and opportunities that women and girls face daily throughout the country. Many of the challenges I saw during my time working in a fistula rehabilitation clinic still remain, including limited access in many rural areas to quality education and health facilities,
with consequent high infant and maternal mortality rates. Nigeria has 2 per cent of the world’s population, but it carries 10 per cent of the maternal mortality burden. The country is also still deeply affected by the kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in the northern State of Borno in 2014, and the continuing practices of child marriage and FGM remain very real challenges across many states.
FGM in Nigeria affects 24.8 per cent of women aged 15-49 and is globally significant in representing some 20 million women and girls who have been cut or are at risk of being cut.
ANN-MARIE WILSON LINK LETTER NO.25 | NOVEMBER 2016
Hello from Britain!
CHURCHMISSIONSOCIETY.ORG/ANNMARIEWILSON
Name: Ann-Marie Wilson
Location: Africa and Britain
My Role: Through the charity, 28 Too Many, which I founded in 2010, we undertake country-specific research and share knowledge with influencers – UK, national and local governments, policy makers, media, community activists, faith leaders, educationalists, social workers, medical teams – to prevent FGM and to protect girls from perpetrators who need to understand that prosecution will follow committing FGM in countries where it’s illegal.
My Call: Passionately working to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and other forms of violence against women and girls globally and specifically across Africa and the diaspora where it is practiced – aiming to reduce it by 10% in 10 countries in 10 years
Top: A rare moment to relax in Germany (with our senior team, brainstorming for the future)
Bottom: The board of 28 Too Many on their away day
CHURCHMISSIONSOCIETY.ORG/ANNMARIEWILSON
However, there are many reasons to be hopeful for the future in Nigeria. The new Violence Against Persons Act (2015) bans FGM. I have also seen the increasing use of social media among young people as offering us new opportunities to educate and advocate for an end to FGM.
To this end, the work now being done in Nigeria by our colleagues in the Girl Generation and The Guardian’s Global Media Campaign to End FGM (GGMC) is both encouraging and inspiring for us all. By forging partnerships at a local level, as demonstrated by the GGMC’s work with local activists from the NGO the Centre for Social Value and Early Childhood Development (CESVED), we can begin to see what is really working in terms of programming.
We were pleased to feature in numerous articles, including The Guardian (link: goo.gl/JxZaRz) as well as Reuters, Premium Times (Nigeria) and the New York Times (Women in the World online section).
Celebrating our fourth year at 28 Too Many
Our senior team of Amy (research), Emma (communications), Sean (operations) and I met for three days in August in Germany to review our 2016/17 work plan and to plan our next five years of research. With a highly skilled team of volunteers including a statistician, a highly experienced DFiD consultant and video producer, we are pleased to be delivering higher quality reports year on year.
Following the success of our recent board away day, we held our fourth AGM in October. If you would like to look at our annual report, here is the link: goo.gl/TkRIX2
We celebrated this with about 20 members of our team and volunteers, plus partners and our youth ambassador. Our new chair and vice chair took office at the AGM but we were sad to see founder trustee Jill Garner, and trustee Anya Stern, step down after a combined six years of office. We are seeking replacement trustees and if anyone reading this is interested, or know others who might be, please contact us on [email protected] and we will send you details.
Communicating about FGM to thousands!
This autumn saw me head to Keele University to present a paper on The Medicalisation of FGM at an International Conference help by Genital Autonomy, the same conference I presented at last year in Frankfurt. Our paper was well received and helped progress understanding of FGM to a key audience.
“There are many reasons to be hopeful for the future in Nigeria. The new Violence Against Persons Act (2015) bans FGM. I have also seen the increasing use of social media among young people as offering us new opportunities to educate and advocate for an end to FGM.”
Top left: The Genital Autonomy conference
Top right: At Mill Hill East Church
ANN-MARIE WILSON LINK LETTER NO.25 | NOVEMBER 2016
I also spoke at Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church, our link church, in September, where we met a group from the local Girls Brigade who had fundraised over £1,000 for our charity. We are so pleased to have had other fundraising opportunities hosted for us at St John’s Church, Barnet, including their Harvest festival and will be manning a stall at the Barnet Fair in December. We are also working more closely with Mill Hill East Church.
I have also spoken this autumn at Royston Parish Church and at CMS’s Africa Conference in Swanwick, Derbyshire. We are pleased to keep up strong links with African diaspora communities in the UK, including the Mother’s Union. Autumn successes
August• ActionAid website blog
• Hearst Magazine article
• Project Literacy “F is for FGM”
September• St Barnabas church, North
London, to preach
• Meeting with National FGM Centre
• Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church to talk
• Childline 30th anniversary conference attending by Noa Marsden, Youth Ambassador
October• CMS’s Africa Conference and
talk at Swanwick,UK
• Launch of Nigeria report
• Day of the Girl Child – 11 October
• Screening of “Warriors” film at Nottingham University.
• St John’s Church, Royston – talk on FGM
Coming soon• November 17: Trustee
interviews
• November 18: The Good Agency fundraiser and screening of “The Warriors”
• November 24: St Barnabas Church – mission review
• November 25: 18 Days of Activism (to 10 December)
• December 4-9: Tearfund Global Gathering, Dublin
• December 7: 28 Too Many prayer meeting
• December: 23-January 3: Office Christmas closure.
Love,
Ann-Marie xx
You can give online to Ann-Marie at: churchmissionsociety.org/ann-marie-wilson
Contact details: [email protected]
PLEASE PRAY...
Please pray for the work that we are doing and for wisdom and discernment as we move forwards in the fight against FGM.
Please pray for me personally and for physical and spiritual protection, and that I will get proper rest in the midst of such busyness.
Please pray for favour from governments and other organisations as we meet with them.
Left: At the Mothers’ Union celebration at St Paul’s cathedral
