Category: 0915

With only 6 weeks before the second annual Walk to End FGM, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation is offering a $5.00 discount to the first 25 people to register between September 15^th and 20^th.  To take advantage of this special offer, please use the code, FGM2015 and you will receive the discount of $5.00.

• Register as a walker
• Register as a survivor
• Form a team and invite others to join your team
• Join a team that has already been formed
• Register as a volunteer
• Make a donation (if you are unable to attend)
• Sponsor a team or an individual walker (contact us for sponsorship packages)
• Purchase a Sponsor Display Table (contact us for details)

Visit www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org and make your choice from the options above.  We look forward to seeing you there!  All proceeds from the walk-a-thon will benefit the Global Woman Center, which helps FGM survivors have proper OB-GYN healthcare, including restorative surgery.  Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.  As such, your contributions are tax deductible to the maximum extent required by law. 

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation (GWPF) is calling for ambassadors to represent the organization in a number of states in the U.S.  According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, the most at-risk girls of FGM in the U.S. are located in the states of Minnesota, California, New York, Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Washington and New Jersey.

As part of GWPF’s campaign to educate the American public on the practice of FGM, the organization believes that having representatives in the high-risk states is a key factor in helping to arrest the practice in the future.  Currently, GWPF has already appointed Ms. Mariam Bojang as its Ambassador to Texas.  Although Ohio is not listed as one of the high-risk states, the organization has named Ms. Sarata Kande as an Ambassador in that state.  We congratulate both Mariam and Sarata as ambassadors in Texas and Ohio.

The requirements to being an ambassador for GWPF are as follows:

• Have basic general knowledge of the practice of female genital mutilation
• Be able to speak to an audience about the practice
• Be able to represent GWPF at an “End FGM Social” in your state
• Come up with new ideas to raise awareness about the practice of FGM in your state
• Help promote GWPF’s programs in your state
• Already have a connection with a university in your state or can establish a connection
• You do not have to be a survivor or at-risk girl to be an ambassador

If you are interested in being appointed an ambassador for GWPF in one of the states listed as a high-risk state, send us an email with your brief bio to info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org or call us with questions 703.818.3787.

This column of “Did You Know…” is intended to help inform and educate our readers on the practice of FGM.  Last week, we reviewed Egypt and their practices of female genital mutilation.  This week, we will take a look at Somalia, and how far that country has come toward ending the practice.

Somalia is known as the country located in the “Horn of Africa”.   It is bordered by Kenya, Djibouti, Egypt, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to the north.  The capital is Mogadishu.

According to statistics, ninety-five percent (95%) of girls in Somalia undergo FGM between the ages of 4 and 11.  Culturally, the expectation for girls to undergo female genital mutilation is closely associated with sex and marriage. It is believed that the men expect the girls to be virgins when they marry them.  There is also the myth that if a girl has not undergone female genital mutilation, she is considered unclean and will not remain a virgin up to the day of marriage.  The girls are cut and the remaining skin is stitched together and is only opened on the day of marriage.  That opening entails another cutting.

A couple of years ago, the officials in Somalia were looking into ending the practice of FGM.  Some of the girls at the time felt that even eliminating the stitching (Type IV – Infibulation) would have been an improvement to what they now undergo.  The Infibulation type leaves the girls with only a very small opening, which accounts for painful urination and menstrual cycles.

Out of that ninety-five percent of Somali girls, are some world renowned women today; former fashion models, Iman and Waris Dirie and British Activist and Teacher, Hibo Wardere are three of the survivors of FGM from Somalia. Following their high fashion careers, both Iman and Waris spoke out against the practice of FGM.  Waris has authored several books, including her personal story; and she has spent most of her adult life advocating and campaigning for an end to the practice of FGM.  Today, Hibo is one of the biggest activists against FGM in the world.  She is known throughout the U.K. as a Mediator, Trainer of FGM and an Anti-FGM campaigner.

We need your signature to meet our goal.  To sign the petition, please click the link below and watch the video:

Sign Our Petition

If you have questions or comments about the campaign prior to signing the petition, please contact us at info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation’s own Dr. Chelsia Bhatti is scheduled to launch her new medical blog this week!  In our efforts to help educate the general public on the practice of female genital mutilation, this blog is scheduled to appear on our website weekly.  It is Dr. Bhatti’s hope that her medical knowledge will help shed light on the practice of FGM, and empower women and girls through her educational blog.

Dr. Chelsia Bhatti is a native of Vancouver, Canada. She graduated as a physician from Kasturba Medical College in India, and has made her home in the United States where she continues her medical career. Dr. Bhatti holds a special interest in the welfare and advocacy of women and children. She is currently the Medical Advisor and Secretary of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation’s Board of Directors.  She believes in utilizing her skills to bring awareness to gender based violence and most importantly bring education and empowerment to women.

Visit our website www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org to keep up with Dr. Bhatti’s new blog.

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Written by A.M. Peabody in conjunction with her 501 c3  – Global Woman® PEACE Foundation – ‘When the Games Froze’ fuses American Football, Christianity and female genital mutilation into a blistering exposé’ of the abuse thousands of young girls face daily. By sharing her story with those in North America, Peabody aims to garner support and resources to make genital mutilation a thing of the past.

While it may appear to be inconceivable to millions of North Americans who live in relative peace, over eight thousand young women are forced to endure life-threatening genital mutilation on a daily basis. Through an insightful and compelling new novel, author and humanitarian A.M. Peabody is helping readers from coast to coast recognize and fight against this deplorable practice.

‘When the Games Froze’ combines American Football, Christianity and fate to tell a heartfelt story of one woman who plans to change the world.

Synopsis:

Nana Nkuku is a driven woman living in the United States, working at a travel agency in D.C. Though many hardworking 20-somethings would be interested in nonprofit jobs, Nana has started an organization that she needs to see through to its turning point. Why? Because deep in Nana’s heart is a calling to do what she can for young girls in her native Ghana who are suffering the tragedy of female circumcisions just like she did when she was their age. She’s left the haunted places of her past and the trauma of that violation behind her, but she still has to face the challenge of changing the future.

Thankfully she has a wonderful circle of friends that includes Frank, a rising star. When he switches from the football schedule to the non-profit circuit, will things finally fall in place? Read When the Games Froze now to know how it all turns out.

As the author explains, the book forms just one part of an on-going and growing campaign to end gender-based abuse around the world.

“The book was written to bluntly highlight the reality of female circumcision in a way that relates to people in the West. Naturally, they live a life that is a million miles away from the young girls in West Africa, for example. Therefore, I hope to garner life-long support and donations from readers across the country. Just like the story, we can all come together by fate with a destiny to help others” says Peabody, President of Global Woman® PEACE Foundation and also the first Liberian native to publish a full-length novel.

Continuing, “Our organization is also working tirelessly to build an educational boarding center for girls in Liberia, West Africa. All proceeds from the book will go directly to support this mission and give girls a start in life that leads them away from abuse into a life where they have control. We can get there, but we require people from across the country to support us. The book is the perfect starting point and I advise both men and women to get their copies as soon as possible.”

‘When the Games Froze’ is available now at the following stores:

 

To find out more about the tireless work of Global Woman® PEACE Foundation, visit: https://globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.