Mary Lenkiyieu and her daughter, Elizabeth, are standing up for women and girls across Africa whose lives are affected by the harmful tradition of FGM.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a common traditional practice across Africa which intentionally alters or injures the female gential organs for non-medical reasons.
Mary and Elizabeth believe that women should be empowered to talk about sexual and reproductive health and challenge FGM and hope that one day the practice will be abolished completely.
You can be a part of making this hope a reality for women across Africa.
FGM is most often carried out by a traditional circumciser using a knife, razor blade or scissors and is performed on girls from their childhood to teenage years. The practice can cause severe medical problems including extensive bleeding and infection and later on, childbirth complications including stillbirths.
AMREF wants to help communities abolish FGM and, after decades of working closely within African communities, AMREF has earned the trust and respect which makes us uniquely placed to help young women and girls challenge the practise of FGM and develop new rites of passage into adulthood.
Thanks to AMREF, hundreds of women and girls in the Kimana community of South East Kenya have been saved the trauma of FGM. In September 2011 AMREF helped 156 young girls take part in an alternative rite of passage ceremoney to mark the beginning of their adulthood.
However, over 90% of women and girls affected by FGM live in Africa and there are many more communities that need AMREF's help to challenge FGM.
Donate today and help AMREF provide essential support for African women to stand up and fight against the harmful practice of FGM. Your donation could help AMREF change the lives of women and girls across Africa.
Please visit our donate page to make your donation or call the AMREF team on 020 7269 5520.
You can trust AMREF to use your generous donation to bring better health to the people of Africa, wherever the need is greatest.