Coumba's Story

The Girl Generation is a programme that aims to help communities abandon female genital mutilation [or cutting, FGM/C]. This has led to a change in behaviour, a dialogue between the old generation and the new generation, to find common ground on the abandonment of FGM/C.

This project is important for the girls and women in my community because it gives them a space which allows them to free themselves from these practices, because we know that these practices [are] taboo in my community.

Currently, I am a business management student with a focus on marketing and communication. I also do my volunteer work with the Girl Generation programme and the Adolescent Counseling Center. My ambition is to establish my own foundation in five years.

During our activities, we invite religious leaders, such as the imam, as well as health personnel, to address FGM/C. The imam explained that this practice does not originate from religious teachings but rather from different traditions.

Health professionals also emphasized the severe consequences that FGM/C can have in both the short and long term.

We also encourage young girls and parents to have open discussions, particularly with their mothers. In this particular case, the girl was able to talk to her mother, expressing her concerns about the practice. This conversation helped her mother become aware of the dangers of FGM/C and inspired her to encourage change.

These interventions helped the girl [to get the knowledge she needed to advocate for herself and] escape the procedure.

Today, this girl is an advocate for gender equality. [She is able to] envision a world where girls and women can exercise their rights freely. Her experience has profoundly changed her daily life, allowing her to understand the impact of social norms on her community.