Kinesi Village

Primary Water

Organic Gardening and Trees

Alternative Health

Malaria Control

Sustainable Technology

Microfinance

Education

FGM Prevention

AIDS Orphans Support

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a common practice in villages of the Lake Victoria region of Tanzania. It entails the removal of parts of the female sex organs and aims to destroy sexual sensations and minimize the likelihood of adultery. FGM is a severe violation of human rights and carries grave health and mental consequences. Although FGM is illegal in Tanzania, it is still practiced in many areas of the country, especially in the rural areas surrounding Lake Victoria where up to 80% of the girls are circumcised.
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GRA has been working with a local non-profit organization called ACCODEO since 2004 to educate communities about the dangers of FGM, and to empower young women to make healthier choices for themselves.

Our strategy consists of:

• Educating girls and boys at the primary school level, their parents and ngaribas (women circumcisers) about the health risks of FGM.
• Providing microfinance loans to ngaribas and village elders (who normally receive gifts during the ceremonies) so that they can earn income from microenterprise activities rather than through the practice of FGM.
• Encouraging the practice of "coming of age" ceremonies more life affirming than the practice of FGM.

Grandmother and a teenager orphan

Tanzanian woman

Children at the age they receive FGM