Our Continued Fight Against the Evil of FGM
February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Part of the vision of our co-founders, John and Regina Chacha, when City of Hope was established in 2007 was to see an end to this horrific practice - and this vision continues today.
Although FGM was criminalized in Tanzania in 1998 and there has been some progress toward ending this evil practice in some regions - with FGM now being more readily reported to the police - this harmful practice is still common in many parts of Tanzania and Kenya. Rates of FGM are especially high in rural areas - including the communities where HopeCo works.
FGM is deeply ingrained in the local Tanzanian culture and is viewed as a means to control a women’s sexuality and her worth as a future bride. FGM is believed to be a rite of passage for any girl who is transitioning into womanhood.
But the consequences of undergoing FGM are dire and impact a girl’s body for her lifetime. Some girls die while undergoing FGM due to hemorrhaging, extreme pain, or infections due to tools not being sterilized. Many girls who do survive face infections, chronic pain, PTSD, and an increased risk of maternal mortality.
And the benefits of FGM? There are none.
Regina Chacha shares her own reflections on FGM:
“I believe we will see an end to FGM in our community during my lifetime!”
“As HopeCo opened our children’s home in 2009, I soon realized how entrenched FGM was as part of the local culture. Every two years, in the season before Christmas, young girls (ages 9-12) would go through FGM as their transition to womanhood. Our children’s home became a place where girls could escape this major abuse of their human rights.
In 2022, I was in Tanzania when the FGM ceremonies were beginning. Several times, on trips to the border, there were groups of people with tree branches singing and dancing as they were preparing to be cut. Once, our van was totally surrounded by an excited crowd. At night we could hear yelling and singing as the young people got stirred up for the ceremony.
Every year, we are a part of campaigns to end this practice. We pray against FGM in special meetings. It is so sad to see this practice continuing, and our medical center ends up with some girls who get infected or who have excessive bleeding because of FGM. But I believe that one day we will see an end to FGM. We are even beginning to see a few marriages of young men to women who have not undergone FGM!”
What are we doing to HELP bring an end to FGM?
We provide rescue and safety at City of Hope and House of Faraja. Our doors are open to girls that need our help - especially during the month of December for temporary protection or long-term care.
We provide counseling and trauma-informed care for these girls as we listen to them and love them. They are provided with support as they begin to heal from the trauma that they have experienced, and they are introduced to the Good News of Jesus!
We speak out, loud and clear, against FGM in our schools, medical clinic, mentoring programs, and in local communities. We visit local schools and host workshops speaking out against the evil practice. We also collaborate with churches, other nonprofits, and the local government to provide training and support.
We cast a new vision of hope for vulnerable girls. We do everything we can to keep girls enrolled in school - and we are thankful to have a 100 percent success rate in transitioning girls from our primary school to secondary school! We also provide vocational training for vulnerable girls and young women who did not have the chance to attend school.
We believe that the Bible has called us to stand up against systemic injustice, and although it is not always easy - we are seeing progress in local elders and leaders. Join us, not just in our fight against FGM, but as we take a stand against child marriage, sexual abuse, and other forms of gender-based violence.