Target Population: Women, girls, and community members in the five targeted districts.

Location: Borama, Gabiley, Hargeisa, Berbera, and Burao, Somaliland.

Duration: 2019 to 2022.

Donor / Partner: UNICEF.

Primary Goal: Support women-led efforts to protect the rights of women and girls and accelerate abandonment of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Rationale & Context

ACRIF, in partnership with UNICEF, implemented the Women-to-Women FGM Abandonment Initiative to uphold the basic rights of women and girls. The project empowered women with information and skills to lead community-level action against FGM and promoted open discussion on its harms across five districts.

Key Project Components

1. Women-Led Community Mobilization

• Empower women as change agents to lead grassroots action against FGM.
• Build women’s knowledge and practical skills to address and challenge FGM within their communities.

2. Community Dialogue and Awareness

• Conduct community-led dialogues to encourage open discussion on FGM and its harmful effects.
• Deliver awareness sessions across the five targeted districts.
• Distribute information, education, and communication (IEC) materials to strengthen community awareness.

3. Community Commitment to Abandonment

• Facilitate community declarations that demonstrate local commitment to abandon FGM.

Expected Outcomes

• Women are better equipped to lead community-level FGM abandonment efforts.
• Communities have increased opportunities to discuss the harms of FGM openly.
• Local commitments to abandon FGM are strengthened through community declarations.