Violence against women and girls

In the fight to end FGM, Maria’s story shows that change is possible. The 66-year-old cut more than 100 girls in a job that spanned four decades. Yet she knew little about the long term health risks of FGM, which stands for female genital mutilation. That was until she attended a talk by ActionAid. What she discovered horrified her enough to put the blade down forever. It also unlocked a painful secret from her past. Here is her story.

Sponsoring a child is a really fulfilling thing to do - for you, the child and their whole community. And because ActionAid does child sponsorship differently to other charities, people often have questions about our approach and what to expect. So we thought it was worth answering them here. If you're thinking of becoming a child sponsor, then read on!

Learn about some of our most effective local initiatives and ways of working that we use around the world to empower women and girls to achieve lasting change.

This World Poetry Day, I want to tell you about some amazing activist poets who have inspired our latest campaign to end violence against women. Read about them below and find out how you can join our global, crowd-sourced poem of hope.

Singer Lucy Rose's new music video 'Nebraska' stars Danny Dyer as a conflicted man coming to terms with how to present himself to the world as who he really is. Around the world pressure from society holds people back - from what we wear to how we are valued by others.

During a recent trip to India with ActionAid, 26-year-old Lucy discovered the catastrophic consequences of girls not being valued as highly as boys. Read her moving account of visiting a celebration of new born girls to find out why this festival is so important for the identity of girls in India.

Learn about female genital mutilation (FGM), its definition and causes, and ActionAid's campaigns to help stop FGM around the world.