GUINEA-BISSAU - Protecting girls from genital mutilation

In Guinea-Bissau, TARGET has been campaigning for an end to female genital mutilation ( FGM) for many years. This takes place during a secret initiation ritual lasting several days, the so-called fanado di mindjer. It is performed by women from the community, the fanatecas. TARGET's strategy of working in partnership with Islam to end this brutal, millennia-old custom with its serious health and psychological consequences has already brought about a change in thinking. Our imam teams are tirelessly on the road with awareness campaigns far into the hinterland. We now have a strong team of staff who are trained, coordinated and supported from the capital Bissau.

Fanatecas at the TARGET workshop in Bafatá.

In the current annual letter, our long-standing project coordinator Susana da Silva reports on her work for the girls. Get a picture of the situation on site from page 6:

Here you can find the Annual Letter 2023.