Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
20
Project title
Project FightAgainstFGM
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
FightAgainstFGM is a youth-led, community-driven initiative that mobilizes market women, students, and community leaders to challenge harmful beliefs sustaining female genital mutilation through culturally relevant education, collective action, and community advocacy, empowering people to protect girls and create lasting social change.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https;//www.linkedln.com/company/project-fightagainstfgm/
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Scaling (We’re expanding impact to new locations or in new and innovative ways)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
The spark behind FightAgainstFGM was deeply personal: the experience of my younger sister, who underwent Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at the age of five and later died following health complications associated with the practice. Losing her was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I remember crying uncontrollably, struggling with the reality that someone I loved so dearly had suffered from a practice that could have been prevented. For a long time, I saw FGM primarily through the pain it caused my family. But gradually, something clicked: my sister's story was not isolated. Behind every case of FGM is a girl whose future may be affected by decisions made within her community, often sustained by tradition, misinformation, and social pressure. I have lived in a community where the practice existed, I understood that simply condemning FGM would not be enough. Meaningful change would require engaging the very people who influence these decisions;market women, parents, teachers, traditional rulers, and religious leaders,and empowering them to become part of the solution. That realisation gave birth to FightAgainstFGM. I began to see my grief not only as a painful loss, but also as a reason to act. Through community outreach and education, I wanted to create spaces where people could question harmful beliefs, and learn from.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains a harmful practice sustained in some communities by cultural beliefs, misinformation, social pressure, and the fear of departing from tradition. Despite its serious physical and psychological consequences, some families continue the practice because they believe it is necessary for social acceptance or cultural preservation. Girls often have little power to challenge decisions that affect their bodies and futures. In the communities FightAgainstFGM seeks to reach, the challenge is not simply a lack of information; it is also the difficulty of changing deeply rooted beliefs and social expectations. Awareness campaigns alone may not be enough if parents, market women, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other influential community members are not involved in finding solutions. This problem matters to me personally because my younger sister underwent FGM at the age of five and later died following complications associated with the practice. Her experience showed me the devastating consequences that harmful traditions can have on individuals and families. Having grown up in a community where FGM was practised, I also understand the importance of approaching people with empathy rather than condemnation. Through FightAgainstFGM, I want to help communities question harmful norms.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
FightAgainstFGM tackles female genital mutilation by placing community members at the centre of prevention. Rather than relying solely on conventional awareness campaigns, we create opportunities for people to understand the consequences of FGM, question harmful beliefs, and become act Over three months, we plan to implement a community-led intervention in Ibadan, Nigeria, built around three key approaches. First, we will engage over 600 market women through interactive educational sessions conducted in their local dialect. Using accessible language, discussions, and educational materials, we will address misconceptions about FGM, explain its potential health consequences, and encourage women to challenge the social expectations that sustain the practice. Second, we will conduct age-appropriate awareness activities in more than five schools, using English-language educational materials to help students understand the importance of bodily safety, dignity, and protecting girls from harmful practices. We will also encourage teachers and school authorities to support continued awareness. Third, we will engage community and market leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, healthcare professionals, and relevant organisations to strengthen community ownership of FGM prevention. We will encourage these stakeholders to use their influence to challenge harmful norms and support protective community action. For girls already affected by FGM, we will facilitate referrals to appropriate healthcare professionals and available counselling or psychosocial support services, while respecting their privacy and dignity. Our approach combines culturally relevant education, youth engagement, and collaboration with influential community members.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
FightAgainstFGM has already moved beyond an idea into action. Through my previous community outreach, we reached approximately 200 people, creating opportunities to discuss Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), raise awareness of its harmful consequences, and encourage community members to reflect on the need to protect girls. This initial experience strengthened my belief that grassroots engagement can contribute to meaningful social change. For me, impact means more than the number of people attending an event. It means helping people question harmful beliefs, access accurate information, and recognise their responsibility in preventing FGM. Every meaningful conversation can help challenge the silence surrounding the practice and encourage collective action. Building on this initial outreach, our next three-month phase aims to engage over 600 market women through interactive sessions in their local dialect and conduct age-appropriate awareness activities in more than five schools. We also plan to engage community leaders, traditional and religious leaders, educators, and healthcare professionals to strengthen local participation in prevention efforts. Where necessary, we will facilitate referrals to appropriate support services for girls affected by FGM. We will measure progress through attendance records, the number of schools and stakeholders engaged.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
What makes FightAgainstFGM different is its emphasis on community ownership, culturally relevant communication, and turning awareness into collective action. Rather than treating FGM solely as a health problem or relying on one-off awareness campaigns, we approach it as a community challenge that requires the participation of the people and social structures that influence its continuation. First, we adapt our communication to the people we serve. Educational materials and interactive sessions for market women will use their local dialect, making information more accessible and encouraging open conversations about a sensitive subject. For schoolchildren, we will use age-appropriate education and English-language materials suited to the school environment. This audience-specific approach recognises that people learn and respond differently depending on their context. Second, we seek to engage community members not merely as recipients of information but as participants in change. By bringing market women, students, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and healthcare professionals into the conversation, FightAgainstFGM aims to build shared responsibility for protecting girls. These trusted community voices can help challenge harmful beliefs and reinforce prevention messages beyond individual outreach sessions. Third, we connect prevention education with pathways to support. Where girls affected by FGM need assistance, we will facilitate referrals to appropriate healthcare and psychosocial services where available. This recognises that communities need both preventive education and responsible support for those already affected.
How many people are on your team?
9
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
FightAgainstFGM is led by me, Adeoyo Paul Adebayo, alongside a team of volunteers who support community outreach, FGM education, mobilisation, and engagement with schoolchildren and community members. I coordinate project planning and implementation while delegating responsibilities according to team members’ strengths. We encourage collaboration, shared decision-making, and collective responsibility.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, I plan to grow FightAgainstFGM from an initial community outreach initiative into a more structured, community-led movement for preventing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Our first priority is to implement the proposed three-month intervention in Ibadan, reaching over 600 market women through interactive education in their local dialect and conducting awareness activities in more than five schools. We will document participation, assess changes in participants’ knowledge, and use feedback to improve our approach. Second, we intend to strengthen collaboration with market leaders, school authorities, traditional and religious leaders, healthcare professionals, and relevant organisations, including the Ransome Kuti Hall and Queen Idia Health Committees. These relationships will help us build community ownership, identify opportunities for sustained engagement, and connect affected girls to appropriate support services. Third, we will use the lessons from our outreach to develop reusable educational materials in local languages and English, alongside a simple monitoring framework to track our reach and outcomes. We also plan to recruit and train more volunteers who can facilitate conversations and sustain prevention messages within their communities.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I encourage others to join FightAgainstFGM by creating opportunities for people to understand the problem, share their perspectives, and recognise their role in protecting girls. In our previous community outreach, we reached approximately 200 people, using direct engagement to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and encourage conversations about its harmful consequences. I believe people are more likely to take action when they feel included rather than judged. Therefore, we approach community members with empathy, encourage open discussions, and make our educational messages relevant to their experiences. My personal connection to this cause also helps me communicate why preventing FGM matters and why communities must work together to protect girls. Our volunteers support mobilisation, awareness activities, and engagement with community members. We also seek collaboration with healthcare professionals, school authorities, market leaders, traditional and religious leaders, and community health groups to expand our reach and strengthen local ownership. In the next phase, we aim to engage over 600 market women through interactive sessions in their local dialect and reach students in more than five schools. We will encourage participants to share accurate information needed.
