Fgm

Find out how ActionAid works with adolescent girls through empowerment and education.

Why is FGM so bad? Read about the health problems and psychological impact of female genital mutilation, and ActionAid's work to stop FGM around the world.

From a safe house helping girls escape FGM, to Girls’ Rooms that provide a safe space for girls to manage their periods, helping girls to stay in school is at the heart of our work.  Thank you to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery who have helped to make this vital work possible.

Hamda is the deputy leader of a women's coalition in Somaliland. She is a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM), and she works tirelessly to persuade people within her local community to stop carrying out FGM on their daughters, by sharing her experiences and how it could have destroyed her marriage. 

Emily, 42, is a local ActionAid worker who lives in West Pokot, Kenya. Committed to changing the lives of women and girls in the region, she works with a network of more than 100 women from surrounding villages to help stamp out female genital mutilation (FGM). Since ActionAid started working there, Emily says fewer girls are facing the cut and many more are staying in school. But, as she explains here, there is still much to do to end the practice for good.

Donate to help end female genital mutilation (FGM) for girls like Purity around the world.