A non-governmental organization in Ebonyi State, Tomorrow is a Girl Foundation(TIF) has trained 40 Civil Society Youth Organizations in the stata as duty bearers to end Female Genital Mutilation(FGM) in the state.
The training was carried out by the non-governmental organization at the weekend in collaboration with Ministry of Youth and Sportsm, Ebonyi State and other implementing partners against FGM with support from United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF).
The Executive Director of the non-governmental organization, Lucy Ogodo who described FGM as evil, said the essence of the training was to have CSOs who carry the campaign against the menace to the grassroots will have not be getting the campaign against the practice.
“We are implementing partners with UNICEF on the movement to end FGM. We are going to be implementing in Abakaliki, Ezza South Local Government Areas in Ebonyi State.
“We have also decided to also work with youth CSO s in the state. We want the youths to be at the forefront in the movement to end FGM. We want them to take charge of the movement because we believe that when youths are at forefront, they have the way of changing the stereotype of the society. They have the voice and the passion and they have the vision. Once they buy into something, they always carry it and before you know it, it becomes a norm.
“We invited 20 CSOs and 40 participants benefitted from the programme. What want this message to get to their members, we want them to be duty bearers, we want them to carry on the message against
“FGM to their different organizations.FGM is something that we have been fighting against. It is a harmful practice that has no benefit.
“We have seen the dangers of FGM. If you go to National Obstetric Fistula Centre, you will see a lot of casualties from FGM. We have seen cases of victims who have bleeding after cutting and people who have kliod and other issues arising from the act. This is why we want to be the ones pionering the fight against the menace in the state|”, she stated.
